Apokolips Deferred
by RogueFanKC
Summary: Set in Red Witch's Misfitverse! Teaming up with Batgirl and Supergirl, the XMen, the Misfits, and G.I. Joe must stop Darkseid from unleashing the Phoenix Force and destroying the universe! Complete so read and enjoy!
1. Weird Life Forms Are Not Just From Space

**Author's Note: I do not own any characters from X-Men: Evolution and G.I. Joe; they are the respective properties of Marvel Comics and Hasbro Entertainment. Original creations for the Misfit-verse are property of the talented and gracious authoress, Red Witch, who has given me permission to use her characters: Althea, Xi, Trinity, Blind Master, and Lina. Any references to Dinosaucers are owned by DiC Studios and Cola-Cola Entertainment, but I DO own the OCs Justin (Whitelighter), Plateo, Montacera, Compy and Raptor. The group "H.A.T.E." is actually not mine; it's from Mirage Comics and Studios and comic creators Eastman and Laird; I'm just twisting it for this story (grins). Also, the crossover-universe for this installment of my series is owned by DC Comics. With that said and I have credited everyone, enjoy the first chapter of…**

**Apokolips Deferred**

**CHAPTER 1: Weird Life Forms Are Not Just From Space**

"_This is Trish Trilby, reporting live from New York City," _spoke the sandy-browned brunette in her microphone on the Channel 6 News broadcast, her back to the riots and angry, roaring demonstrations in Times Square, hordes and hordes of individuals gathered around as a massive herd of spectators,_ "What you are seeing now is another historic moment in the never-ending propaganda battle between mutants and humans as both social-reform groups, the Friends of Humanity and H.A.T.E., also known as Humans Against The Extraterrestrials, have declared an alliance of goodwill in their efforts to terminate all mutant and now, alien-kind. Yes, you have heard me correctly folks, the Friends of Humanity has now expanded their agenda to wage war and defend the Earth against not only mutants such as Magneto, Acolytes, and the X-Men, but against extraterrestrial alien-life as well. To all of those who are skeptical, to say the least, about such a merge between two world-wide organizations, Mr. Graydon Creed and Mr. Leonard Tonka have this to say…_"

The cameras cut to a previous recording as the two men spoke to their rally of rancor, numbering in the hundreds and hundreds of thousands, all converged in Times Square with numerous anti-mutant and anti-alien banners and signs, consisting of men, women, and children, ranging from the elderly to an anonymous seven-year old girl with blond hair riding on her father's shoulder while holding a effigy of a mutant on a noose. Graydon Creed, a tall, striking man with a strong, hardened face and malicious eyes of cold steel, wearing a burgundy suit with dark-green pants and wearing a black, FOH armband on his left arm, spoke on a podium underneath the spotlights next to his partner Tonka, the main leader of H.A.T.E.

"_We publicly declare this partnership between H.A.T.E. and the Friends of Humanity to give those mutie freaks and their delusional supporters the warning they no less deserve! Too long have the human race been endangered by the presence and the existence of the unnatural plagues, threatening to contaminate our gene pools and wipe out all of the natural ways of life! And now as if Earthly freaks weren't enough, we now are threatened by the inclusion of freaks from other planets and galaxies! First we have to worry about mutants wiping out the human race, and now aliens visitors who probably have plans of taking over our homes and land for themselves or harvesting us as some slave labor? The government has already proven that they aren't worth a damn in dealing with the mutant crisis, so it's of course natural to expect that they'll do absolutely nothing over the alien crisis as well! My fellow human brothers and sisters and children, I assure you that these threats are very real and very dangerous! Are we to trust our lives and welfare on the foolish notion that there can be peace and co-existence between all races? Is that what we want, people? Do we want to share this planet with those freaks? Do you want alien abominations to associate with your towns? Do you want dirty, perverted mutants turning your own children against you? Do you want aliens and mutants to have what **we** have, what we earned through our own sweat and blood, every right and prize we hold dear to human life?_"

A loud, unanimous roar answered back, full of force and resolve, heard by everyone throughout within a five-mile radius. Apparently, the Friends of Humanity and Humans Against The Extraterrestrials had no problem in finding supporters and recruits for their respective causes.

"**_NO!_**"

The screen then cut to Mr. Leonard Tonka, a raven-haired man with cool blue eyes and a black goatee, dressed impeccably in a black suit and tie, as he spoke in an eloquent voice, silky and refined. What was most noticeable about him was the air of self-assurance and confidence he always seemed to wear, his mouth seemingly carved into an indelible smug smirk.

"_My dear comrades, it warms my heart to see you make your stand for the greater good! As such, it is obvious that for the good and benefit of all humankind, we all must band together despite our different targets and eliminate all ties to such monstrosities! Already, we have begun to see such sickening and disgraceful integration into our precious ways of living! Those fools in Anaheim allow those avian invaders, the Mighty Ducks, to live and even play professional hockey of all things when they should clearly be sent to the first government concentration camp and treated as trespassers! Let us not forget what had happened in this very city when the Triceratons had tried to capture and imprison thousands of New Yorkers for their own, twisted purposes while using their fleets to cripple various military bases throughout the world! Had it not been for human intervention and splinter freedom forces such as H.A.T.E., the Triceratons would have succeeded in making all of us their slaves! And let us not forget those pathetic lapdogs in the United Nations and in our own American governments that foolishly encourage such farces of superficial heroics such as the forming of the Justice League, even though Superman and Martian Manhunter have been proven to be unstable and should not by any means be trusted! How can we be so sure that having aliens as our allies will not result in our downfall? How do we know that having mutants as our friends does not result in our deaths and extinction? To all those who oppose me, this is my final cry! Earth is only for humans! Not mutants! Not extraterrestrials! A mutant freak is just as good as an alien freak, and we shall all be infinitely better off when all such freaks are dead! Begone forever! Ceased of this realm! To all mutants and invaders observing this, the Friends of Humanity and H.A.T.E. send a message: this planet shall never be yours! You shall all die before seeing coexistence!_"

The crowd roared with approval, unanimous and extreme prejudice and loathing at its highest. The cameras then turned back to Trish as she tried to voice her report to her station over the maddened mob.

"_Despite some controversy over the merge, recent national polls have indicated many of the United States favoring such a coalition, especially when sources from the United States military and the FBI have indicated that H.A.T.E. is quite well-off, both financially and ordnance-wise. Already, Tonka has been reported to have established partnerships with high-ranking business associates such as Lex Luthor, Wilson Fisk and Sebastian Shaw, while H.A.T.E.'s arsenals of weaponry are some of which have never been dreamed nor heard of before by weapon specialists from around the world. Statistics have estimated that H.A.T.E and the Friends of Humanity have enough munitions to qualify as a Third World Army in itself, and that is **only** in the United States alone! It has even been discovered that H.A.T.E.'s supply of weaponry even outmatches high-ranked military and terrorist organizations such as S.H.I.E.L.D. and Cobra, though no details have been provided. Though many splinter loyalist branches have been growing at an abnormal rate throughout the world in largely populated areas such as Hong Kong, London, Moscow, and Paris, Tonka and Creed have established their main headquarters for H.A.T.E. in Gotham City and Metropolis. Also not surprisingly, crime rate by Intergang and various high-ranking syndicates have multiplied by more than twenty-fold, and many of Gotham and Metropolis' police forces have done little to quell the sudden increase in crime. Rumor has it that such crimes have been committed by the very same technology H.A.T.E. and the FOH have, a black market for weapons being traded underground, yet no proof has been made. Commissioner Gordon of Gotham City and Chief Maggie Sawyer of Metropolis have declined to comment. Yet with the recent invasions of the Triceratons from three years ago and the near-success of the invasion of the Imperium that resulted in the formation of the Justice League in the first place, this reporter has to wonder if Tonka and Creed have a good point in that we must take matters into our own hands if we are to defeat both the mutant and alien crises once and for all? This is Trish Trilby, reporting live, Channel 6 News…_"

000-

Back at the X-Mansion, the X-Men adults and kids were watching the report on the news with a mixture of fascination and horrified wariness.

"This isn't good," murmured Jean as she unconsciously gripped Scott's hand in her palm with nervous anxiety. All the X-Men, from the instructors to the New Mutants, were seated in the lush and cozy den around the big screen TV as they watched Trish Trilby finish her report with growing interest…and worry.

It wasn't every day that the goal for mutant-human peace took a big step backwards before being kicked down and shot to death for good measure.

"Just what we need: another bigot just like Graydon Creed," Rogue muttered darkly while glaring at the image of Mr. Tonka on the wide-screen.

"Geez, could you imagine what could happen with Creed and the Friends of Humanity if they're able to use H.A.T.E.'s resources?" Ray muttered to Sam and Amara who were sitting on the carpet next to him, "I've heard about that Lex Luthor guy. He's got enough money to make Donald Trump look like some amateur intern! And unlike a lot of businessmen, he's **not** stupid! To have Luthor be a supporter of H.A.T.E. is definitely going to take Creed places! Big places!"

"Not to mention that Fisk creep," Tabitha added, nervously playing with a lock of her blond-hair before turning to the Professor, asking, "I mean, didn't you run into him when we helped Spider-Man fight off those nutcases over at the museum? Isn't he really some sort of criminal kingpin mafia boss in disguise? We were able to figure out his ties to Cobra's Extensive Enterprises and those Hellfire guys." **(See Author's Note)**

"Yes, Tabitha, and I suspect that it would also explain why Intergang has been so prevalent as of late," Xavier murmured as he brought his hands together in a steeple and lightly rested his chin on his fingers, "And with H.A.T.E. having such incredible displays of technological warfare, this could truly be as much of a threat as the Sentinels."

Forge then said as he nervously typed away on his laptop, nearly bludgeoning the keyboard, "It gets worse, I'm afraid. I was just able to use some of our hacking software and programs to see if we could enter into H.A.T.E.'s computer mainframes and databases to see exactly what we might be up against, but no such luck! I tried every possible angle, but they're airtight! To tell you the truth, they could give the Joes and S.H.I.E.L.D. a run for their money in their encryption algorithms!"

"They're **that** good?" Remy asked, his eyes raised in slight surprise, "_Mon Dieu!_ And you're naturally a whiz at this sort of stuff, Forge! Remy don't ever remember you ever having trouble hacking into a site if you really wanted to, _homme_! I mean, you were even able to get those blueprints and statistics stuff about Buckingham's security network around the Crown Jewels for me on Saturday!"

"And why exactly would ya' be needing something like **that**, swamp-rat?" Rogue finally perked up as she glared at her boyfriend in warning, growling, "If you get yer butt in jail again, we're not posting bail like we did with Bobby three months ago with the fountain incident."

Remy chuckled weakly as he also found out that Storm and Wolverine were giving him warning glares as well, though deep down, he was wondering if it was too late to make a run for it and lock himself in the Danger Room before he put the proverbial foot into his mouth even further. Bobby then luckily shifted the attention of the conversation.

"Yeah, but on the upside, they're against alien-life forms, so if we ever have invaders from outer space like those Triceratons that Tonka was going on about, it might be a good thing if they could help focus on protecting people from future wars like that. I mean, if evil aliens from outer space are going to get bombed, it's probably not a bad thing," Bobby suggested.

Roberto then snapped in anger, "Yeah, and I'm sure that gives the FOH the same justification for us, Ice-Boy! How can you even say that? How the hell can you even think about agreeing with that slime-ball? You're such a hypocrite!"

Bobby was completely flustered and defensive as he growled at the Brazilian mutant, "Hey, what's with you! I'm just saying it might not be such a bad thing if H.A.T.E. can stop threats from other planets that could try attacking Earth and invading them! I mean, this is our planet, and aliens should keep that in mind before attacking us or trying to live here! I mean, who wants something to happen to us like in the movie _Independence Day_? I mean, isn't our job to protect before things get out of hand? What's so bad about that then? I mean, if we should do it to Magneto and the Hellfire Club, then there's no reason we shouldn't be fighting alien freaks too!"

Sam then got into Iceman's face as he said heatedly, "Drake, did you ever stop to think that maybe it's wrong to do this stuff to aliens too? That how Tonka and his H.A.T.E. group threatening to fight and strike against people from other planets is just as bad as Creed and his group doing hate crimes against mutants? No matter how you look at it, hate's hate, Bobby!"

Jamie then piped up, outraged, "And what about good aliens? They'd be targets for both Creed and Tonka now, and you know those jerks won't take any prisoners! Killing aliens isn't a good thing Bobby, especially if they just want to live on Earth in peace!"

Amara then said hesitantly, defending Bobby who was feeling as if he was being ganged up, "Stop it, you guys. Bobby's got a point. I mean, mutants we can be comfortable enough with since we're in the same boat. But I know I wouldn't feel right if I was to be in the presence of some alien or weirdo from another planet. I mean, how do we know all aliens are good to begin with? What if one attacked the mansion or even hurt hundreds of innocent people like the Imperium did?"

Tabitha gasped as she blurted out in shock, "Amara!"

The Roma Nova princess shook her head at her friend as she stubbornly carried on, raising a hand to allow Tabitha to gracefully finish her conviction, "Tabby, I know you might not agree with me, but with the war going on between mutants and humans, the last thing we need are extraterrestrials from other galaxies. It's just going to add more trouble and make life more complicated than ever. To tell you the truth, I can kind of see what Mr. Tonka meant when he said Earth is meant only for Earthlings and that it should stay that way."

Jake then sighed sadly from the sidelines as he looked at Amara, who was sitting next to him, with a bit of hurt, asking with a meaningful tone, "So should that mean that I'm not welcome here on Earth either? After all, by all counts, unlike the rest of the X-Men, I'm not an Earthling but a kat from another dimension. I'm just as good as some foreign invader."

Amara was immediately ashamed as she backpedaled in embarrassment, "Oh! I…I'm sorry, Jake! I didn't mean you! You're different because…because…"

"I know what you meant, Amara," Jake said, but he smiled warmly as he draped an arm over the younger mutant's shoulders, letting her know he wasn't offended before he continued in a grave voice, "but then the same should be applied to all the good aliens that come to this world. Even in my past adventures as a SWAT Kat, there _ARE_ some good aliens. The Aquain was named after the alien kat race that helped me and Chance with Mutilor, if I should remind you kittens. And it's not right to say all aliens are bad and that Earth should be closed to visitors or other races who want to live here under terms of armistice; it isn't anything person on this planet can claim."

"But since when will all aliens be good? Hate to say this, hairball, but the Princess and Ice-Cube's got a point in that we'd all be better off without E.T. wannabes making things more difficult for us. Besides, after what I've been through, a good alien wanting peace is probably just as wishful and unreasonable as thinking Creed's gonna turn over a new leaf for mutant support or that Magneto would surrender himself to G.I. Joe," Logan said gruffly, and with this, Jake shot Logan an annoyed glare. It seemed that no matter what side Jake took, it was certainly a given that Logan would be on the opposing viewpoint.

"Last time I checked, you weren't always in the right, Badger," hissed the kat, and Logan grit his teeth with a snarl as he popped out his claws at the insinuation.

"Calm down, both of you," Ororo warned with exasperated impatience before she turned to the grizzled Wolverine and said in an offended tone, "And really, Logan, I'm surprised at you for making such a statement. Any amnesty that extends to all mutants should also be given to those who deserve and need it desperately, especially if they are just as badly persecuted and unfairly targeted by bias and not of the norm. And that applies to life forms from outer space as well."

"If you think about it, none of us, not even humans like Senator Kelly and Graydon Creed can be considered normal. Normal is relative, isn't it, Ororo?" Piotr asked as he cradled Kitty and Lockheed gently in his wide lap on the couch next to Rogue, Remy, and Kurt.

"You are correct in that observation, young Rasputin," Hank sighed as he removed his glasses off the bridge of his nose, wearily rubbing his eyes with one hand, "And I will agree with Ororo and Jake, Logan. Despite some proverbial bad apples, it is absolute poppycock to believe that all such encounters with life from other planets and galaxies may be harmful and dangerous. If we followed those beliefs, we would be no better from what the Friends of Humanity do to mutant rights."

"I really doubt it, Beast. I mean, what are the chances we'll even run into good aliens? With our recent history, we'll probably not be that lucky," sighed Kurt in uncharacteristic pessimism.

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that, Kurt," Scott exhaled wearily as he stretched, ready for bed, "The last thing we need are bloodthirsty, maniacal megalomaniacs with infinite powers and abilities for us to get on their bad sides."

000-

Back the Pit, the very same feelings of sentiment could have been echoed throughout everyone's minds as not only the Misfits but all of the soldiers of G.I. Joe and even General Hawk looked on the announcement with disdainful thoughtfulness and concentrated suspicion.

"As if things weren't bad enough," sighed B.A., the Joes' chef, as he watched from his sitting position on the pool table where Ace, Quick Kick, Recondo, and Big Lob were playing a game, not that their minds were really on cues and billiards. Every one of the Joes in the recreation room was deeply troubled from the newscast.

"Well, why not?" griped Wanda with malice, "After all, with the mutant population being hated by the general public, why not include everyone else who doesn't meet to Creed's standards such as aliens or people like the Joes who support mutants? God, those people make me sick!"

"And not just from Tonka," Duke said as he continued gazing at the TV screen, "I mean, Lex Luthor, we haven't been able to prove, but Wilson Fisk and Sebastian Shaw I can definitely have misgivings about. I'd rather have a thousand people like Creed who are all talk and no action as opposed to those three. I wouldn't be surprised if one or two of the current Jugglers are on their payrolls. And with Tonka and Creed's men and technology at their hands, it could mean for some rough times, for mutants, humans, _and_ aliens."

"I know," Justin murmured worriedly, "I'm just glad General Hawk is hiding the Dinosaucers' location from the military and protecting them. I can't imagine what would happen or how I'd be able to go on if Mr. Tonka tried to wipe out the Lavadome like Major Cliffton tried to do when we first met each other."

Blind Master draped an arm over his son's shoulders in a soothing gesture, wordlessly, giving Justin a small hug.

"I dunno if that'll ever happen Justin, but I can kinda see what you mean about that Tonka guy. I mean, I just thought of something…" Fred said thoughtfully, rubbing his chin as his face was slightly twisted in deep thought, which of course, was a grand opening for Pietro to mock him.

"Wow, Freddy is thinking of something else besides food! This is probably worthy of a news flash! What next, he'll finally manage to stop his daily impersonations of a blue whale or be able to brag that he no longer has boobs bigger than Pamela Anderson's?"

"Har har, smart-mouth," Fred drawled, giving Pietro a good wallop with a pillow cushion on the couch that sent the poor albino flying across the room, screaming, before finally voicing his opinion, "But, I mean, didn't anyone think that it's not really a coincidence that Tonka and his H.A.T.E. groups are centered right smack-dab in Gotham City and Metropolis, especially since Superman's from Metropolis and he's an alien or somethin'…"

"Hm, I can see what you mean, Freddy, but then why Gotham City? I don't recall any aliens who reside there," Wanda asked.

Todd then answered, "That's true, yo, but you're forgetting that the Bat-Dude lives there, and he's part of the Justice League along with one of Superman's best buddies!"

"Bat-Dude? Who's he? I have never heard of either him or Superman for that matter, and I am curious to see why they are such a huge interest in this recent development with H.A.T.E. and the Friends of Humanity," Xi announced.

Althea then explained, "It's Bat_man_, not Bat-Dude, Xi, and basically, Batman and Superman are famous crime-fighters and world heroes that fight against threats and criminals like the Joker or the Imperium parasites that came about five years ago from a distant galaxy that planned to infiltrate our planet from within and feed on us like cattle, like they did with Martian Manhunter's planet on Mars centuries ago. That why they formed the Justice League with several other members not too long ago, so that by teaming up, they'd be able to stop future threats to come to Earth."

"That's odd. How come I don't recall ever hearing about this?" Lance asked Althea as he looked at her.

"The Imperium stuff happened five years ago, so this was probably around the time you guys were first discovering your powers as mutants, so it's pretty understandable that you were all probably too preoccupied to even pay attention to outside events. Plus, the United Nations and the Jugglers did everything they could to cover it up and make sure that the less said about those encounters, the better. And we didn't hear about those Triceratons either in New York because that was a week or two before Magneto had you all fight that Sentinel Trask built and exposed all of your guys to the world, so it makes sense how we were all too worried about trying to lay low from drawing attention to ourselves. And plus, with the sudden rage of mutant-hysteria that popped up from the Sentinel incident before you got ousted in Bayville, all the worry about the Triceratons' attacks were lessened when the general public focused on mutants as the next and newest threat."

"Gee, lucky for us," Low Light growled sarcastically as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"And apparently, people haven't forgotten about those incidents either, especially if H.A.T.E. and the Friends of Humanity were able to gain so much support and popularity in so short of a time," the auburn-haired Joe, Scarlet, added as she allowed the Joe ninja, Snake Eyes, to hold her hand. An act that did not escape the furious Duke's attention.

"But with Batman and Superman, are they mutants? Like us?" Lina asked, her antennae bobbing up and down her head gently.

Althea shook her head as she clarified, "Actually, no. Superman is supposedly an alien from the planet Krypton that exploded and destroyed itself, and Superman is the only survivor who was able to come off that planet and make his home here on Earth, and apparently, from what we can guess, he likes living here so much that he wants to make sure what happens to Krypton doesn't happen to us as well. And Batman's really some masked human vigilante who fights crime in Gotham City. But I have to say that he's actually really gutsy and tough to be able to fight all those opponents."

"I'll say! The bat's got some impressive moves! He could be skilled enough to be a ninja from what I've heard of him," Quick Kick said. General Hawk then spoke next.

"But you're right about one thing, Duke. There's something about Tonka's recent alliance that I don't trust, and considering who his recent financial partners are, I can tell you my superiors would be more than interested about H.A.T.E. and their dealings, not to mention what kind of secrets they're trying to hide."

"Haven't you been able to find out anything on them already? I mean, H.A.T.E can't possibly be any more difficult to deal with than the Friends of Humanity or Cobra and the Dreadnoks. Can't you just bug their offices or try to trace their calls or break into their computer systems to get anything incriminating?" Lance asked. It was then that the Triplets, Daria, Brittney, and Quinn looked up from their laptop.

"Actually, we tried already, Lance," piped up Brittney. Althea groaned at the proclamation as she began her lecture.

"Not again! Didn't you three learn your lesson last time when you hacked into Martha Stewart's computer to get her recipes for her double-layer, cinnamon-cream, mousse cake and her Swiss bank account numbers! We were lucky the lawsuit _only_ was regarding to the stolen cake recipe - !"

Daria shook her head worriedly as she said, "No, you misunderstand, Sis! We _tried_ already, and we **can't** do it! We weren't able to hack into H.A.T.E.'s mainframes over at their headquarters!"

"Wait…**_you girls_**…can't get in? At all?" Shipwreck blurted out in shock, his eyes wide. **That** was certainly a new one; there was never a case when the Delgado Triplets could never solve or decipher something with their brilliant minds. Daria, Brittney, and Quinn weren't mutant geniuses for nothing. The rest of the Joes and the Misfits, including Beach Head and General Hawk, were stunned.

Quinn shook her head is disconcerted befuddlement as she explained, "We're not sure, but we can say that none of us have ever experienced this kind of programming before at all. Whoever designed their security measures for their computer network could give **us** lessons about encryption algorithms! We even used some of the alien formulas from the Dinosaucers, Dimetro and Plato, just to see if they could break it, but it even withstands **their** decryption algorithms! Plato said he had never come across such complex code before in his life last time we talked with him on the Dinosaucers' radio-communications!"

Todd whistled in awe as he said, "Wow, yo! These H.A.T.E. guys aren't fooling!"

Lina then pointed out the obvious as she commented, "And if Tonka is **THAT** determined to keep people out, then he and Creed must _really_ have something they want to hide. Something that they don't want others to know about. Like maybe a new Sentinel program with Trask or something big with Cobra to overthrow Congress?"

"We'll probably be able to take care of it, Private," Beach Head said gruffly, "I mean, after the fiascos with the Hellfire Club, the Hellions, Magneto, Cobra, Hydra, and Serpentor and Cobra-la and God knows what else I'm forgetting, Tonka and Creed couldn't possibly any worse than those jackasses."

"Boy, if **that's** not an invitation for fate to screw us over again, I don't know what else will," snorted Gung-Ho.

000-

Meanwhile, it was past 3:00 A.M. over at the Metropolis Maximum Security Asylum on Stryker's Island…

"This freaking bites!" cursed Live Wire to herself as she walked around her cramped, padded cell in a circle for what she would consider for the thousandth time this week. And from what she could tell, it would be like that for her for a very long time, and the distinct smell of the rubber covering the walls and floor along with the lack of anything remotely electrical within a half-mile radius of her room was enough to drive her crazy. She was going to be in here for a very long time with no possible end in sight.

But so help her, Leslie "Live Wire" Willis would see to it that certain people would pay for her incarceration, regardless of who or how many she had to kill to do it.

Before she could even voice her next curse, she then was nearly jerked off her feet and onto the floor as the entire maximum security asylum was rocked by a furious explosion. The ground quaked furiously with unnatural tremors so forceful, it was like trying to stand on an unstable floor made of Jell-O. As Live Wire got up from the floor in a daze, she could hear the muffled screams of human carnage and nearly feel the heat of energy blasts from outside her cell as the silence in the peaceful night was ripped apart by gunfire, lasers screaming, and…the sounds of something mechanical barking.

"What the hell?" Live Wire gasped, but before she could decide what to do, her wall suddenly started to glow, completely engulfed with purple plasma energy before it melted into puddles and puddles of black tar and magma, smoking, thick, and completely noxious. Live Wire then looked up to see seven odd women standing in the opening of where he wall once was. The powerful light beacons from behind them cast gruesome pillars of light behind the troupe, casting and hiding them in the shadows as the lights also played upon the fifty or so dead bodies of the security guards of Stryker's Island. All of the men and women were gruesomely disemboweled, burnt to a crisp or pummeled and broken into pulp. There was not a single survivor, and the holocaust had been done in only less than two minutes.

Live Wire, despite her horror at the blood-bath, realized what the situation meant; these strangers, whoever they were, were setting her free. Still, the fact that they were so ruthless at killing made it very difficult for Live Wire to even consider entrusting her well-being with them, and from what she could tell, they were definitely the strangest-looking of all people she ever encountered (and she used to be a disc jockey for crying out loud).

"So, who're you?" the smart-mouthed girl smirked as she sneered disdainfully despite the excitement of finally being free, "Rejects from a photo-shoot at _Crack-Whore Monthly_?"

"I'd watch that pretty, little mouth of yours, you electric tramp," one woman growled in a deep voice, "Unless you don't mind having us rip out your tongue. Now come on and get going! We don't got all day!"

"What makes you think I'd go with you? Not my style! Not that I'm not grateful for you guys busting me out and all, but I work alone and without having members of the loser brigade to tag-along! I already learned my lesson from working with Parasite!"

One of the figures then stepped out of the dim shadows and into the light cascaded from the outside flood-lamps. It was a short, elderly lady with a very wrinkled and tan face that could make any right-minded child cry on sight, narrowed dark eyes and lips, and wavy white hair that was neatly brushed behind the nape of her thick neck. She was wearing a metallic green and yellow sort of armor, more complicated and futuristic that anything Live Wire had ever seen before in her life, and in her black, clawed hands was a golden scepter. In that getup, Live Wire could have easily nicknamed the baggy bat as "Toad Queen".

The old woman then smiled a very frog-like smile as she spoke in a deep voice that almost registered as a man's while being lethally sweet, like poisoned honey, "Simple, my little blue jailbird. You shall be using your powers to work for us from now on as repayment for having us give you a chance for this liberation. Our master has decided that your potential abilities could be quite useful in our plans for this planet."

"Hey, I don't work for nobody, you old prune!" snapped the blue-haired spitfire as she readied her powerful electrical surges from her hands, but a purple blast of pure, raw plasma from the old woman's scepter stopped her cold, sending her flying into the wall, only to come crashing down, unconscious.

The old maid wickedly smiled as Live Wire's prone form was lifted by another figure, crowing, "Oh, I'm afraid you really have no choice, my dear little sparkplug. Our master has a special need in mind for you to implement 'Phase: _Restart_'."

**Author's Note: This actually happened, when the Misfits and X-Men teamed up with Spider-Man in Red Witch's fanfic, "Another Week of Random Madness". Go for a read, because it's actually quite well-written and funny! Read and enjoy, and I think it should be obvious what this crossover is; the fact that I'm crediting DC Comics in my disclaimer alone should be obvious (winks). And next Friday, we will see how things are faring with the X-Men as they receive an unwanted guest along with the plot thickening as evil is revealed and two new allies shall come to the inevitable showdown. Check back next Friday for the chapter "This Does Not Bode Well" and until then, read, enjoy and review!**


	2. This Does Not Bode Well

**CHAPTER 2: This Does Not Bode Well**

"Wow, this was a totally nice idea, Peter. Just you and me under the sun and like watching to clouds roll by," Kitty sighed as she and Piotr sat on the cotton blanket on the crest of a small, grassy knoll on the Institute's grounds. It truly was a lovely day, with a soft cool breeze from the neighboring ocean and the only sounds were chirping larks flying overhead. Even the X-Mansion was serene without a single explosion or screaming ruckus.

Piotr was inwardly cheering as his wrapped his strong arms around Kitty's waist as she leaned backwards against his body. As a surprise, the Russian mutant decided to give Kitty an enjoyable picnic (in which he insistently made the entire lunch) not too far from the Institute grounds. Kitty was completely taken aback and touched at the romantic gesture, and she readily agreed to go along wholeheartedly.

And the best part of it was it was just the two of them, sharing watercress sandwiches, hummus, and watermelon, alone and with no Misfits, no nosy X-Men comrades, no Lance.

"Thank you, God," whispered Piotr as he brought his cheek against Kitty's soft hair, enjoying her scent. His prayers had been answered at last, after so much grueling and racking

"Lemme guess, this is the calm, romantic scene where you spew out some lame poetry and declare her the world on a pedestal before you succeed in getting her panties around her ankles, Mr. Gigolo?" an unfamiliar voice, rough and wise-cracking drawled behind them. Piotr, even though he didn't know why, knew on some sixth sense that a strange voice on the grounds of the heavily guarded X-Mansion was not a good thing, and without a hesitation, he switched into full-armor mode, the organic steel immediately layering itself over his body as he shielded Kitty.

He was right. A split-second later, a white, hot and lethal burst of electricity shot out and struck his back, causing Colossus to wince. Damn, even with his indestructible and energy-resistant steel safeguard, Colossus could feel a considerable amount of pain underneath. That was a powerful energy attack.

"I want a refund…" hissed Colossus with cheated antagonism at any deity who just loved putting him through the wringer as he and Kitty angrily whirled behind them with much offended and dangerous hostility. There, standing on the grass with streams of crackling electricity snaking around her body was a slender, white-skinned woman in a skin-tight suit and boots made of ionized air and with her blue, nefarious eyes matching her spiked blue hair piled high and pointing upwards in the heavens.

"Hey, I'm impressed," sneered Live Wire as she readied another ball of energy in her gloved fist, "Not many people was still remain standing after handling one of my best shots, but I'll give it time before I can break a nice, hunk of Russian steak such as yourself, stud-boy."

She shot another wide flare, aiming for both Kitty and Piotr, but Kitty growled as she grabbed her boyfriend's hand, phasing the both of them through the stream of lightning as the energy simply cremated the evidence of the picnic and the grass, sending all of Piotr's hand work for naught.

"Something's like going to break, all right!" snapped Shadowcat as she and Colossus charged with fists and karate-skills ready, "How about I use my foot to totally lodge like whatever pipe's that stuck up your butt even further, you tramp!"

Shadowcat leapt, hoping to tackle the strange woman and phase her partway into the grassy terrain, leaving her stuck, but without fail, Live Wire grinned before turning into a being of pure electromagnetic energy, a white intangible specter before sinking into the underground power cables that supplied the X-Mansion and headed directly for the Institute.

"She's like headed for the Mansion!" gasped Shadowcat as she and Colossus ran towards the Institute, hoping that they could get there in time to warn the Professor and the X-Men as Piotr screamed as loudly as he could in his head, hoping that Xavier could pick up on his thoughts via telepathy.

_Professor Xavier, Professor Xavier! We have an alert! A strange woman with electrical powers just attacked me and Kitty! And she's headed for the Mansion! She's going to try to attack everyone in the Mansion!_

_I know, Peter!_ The Professor practically roared that one statement loudly enough to even be heard by Jean who was far in the opposite wing of the manor, ready to rush in with Scott, Kurt, and Remy in alarm as Live Wire was now suddenly creating havoc in the living room, causing a few noticeable fires and sending many of the mutant to duck behind non-conductive wooden furniture and diving for cover through doorways.

"Who the hell are you, you little homewrecker?" snarled Wolverine, already suited up for a practice Danger Room session when he was alerted of the scuffle and forgot his daily exercise routines he bolted out only to see the commotion. Logan lunged, dodging the beams Live Wire shot at him before twisting his body into a full spiral with his clawed arms stretched outwards the enemy. Live Wire managed to change herself into a bolt of lightning as Wolverine passed by, saving herself from being severely cleaved into two large body parts. Enraged, Live Wire re-solidified into human form before blasting Wolverine at full-strength. Logan howled in rage and spasmodic, racking throes, and the inimical woman thought she had killed him.

Yet to her surprise, Wolverine just grinned, his healing factor kicking in, as his ashy and blackened skin diminished, his flesh regenerating itself underneath the layer of flaky, charcoal skin . Live Wire eyes widened in shock before smiling to herself.

"So there's **one** of them," she muttered as she flung another barrage of electrical blitzes, but Bobby, now intent on protecting everyone, brilliantly made a wall of ice in front of Wolverine, Tabitha, Bobby and Ray, blocking the searing heat-waves. And since frozen water molecules were not conductive like its liquid form, Live Wire was unable to get at them.

"Leave us alone, you meanie!" Jamie yelled as he and four other clones aimed their yellow and red glovatrixes and fired simultaneously, yelling in unison, "Crossbow missiles…AWAY!"

Live Wire made the mistake of thinking she could simply obliterate the incoming shafts, but to her surprise, the X-Man fired petrified, wooden arrows at her, and unlike metal, wood didn't melt nor succumb to electrical attacks. And with them being petrified, she couldn't burn nor singe them into ashes. Dodging like mad, Live Wire managed to avoid the five mini-spears, but one managed to graze her right side painfully, causing her fury to go to absolute bloodthirsty savageness in seconds.

"Now you made Live Wire mad, you little snot-nosed rugrat! Die, you brats!" she screamed as she blasted at the clones. In torment, the clones could only scream in pain as they were all electrocuted and vanished into thin air, the kinetic energy of the doppelgangers fading into nothingness. Now only the original Multiple was next and he cried out in alarm as Live Wire sent the killing blow.

"Multiple, duck!" cried out Jake as he brought out a Tesla force-field with his glovatrix and tackled Jamie to the ground. Jamie hugged Jake gratefully as the protective older kat-brother managed to use the oval-shaped disc to cover both himself and the younger adolescent, and like clockwork, the powerful electrical beam ricocheted off the resistant arm-guard of Razor.

That was when Rogue had enough.

"That's it! The gloves are comin' off, Sparky!" Rogue snarled as she dive-bombed with an uncovered fist outstretched. Live Wire made a move to blast her, but she found herself held in place by Jean's telekinesis, unable to move. Which was how Rogue managed to graze the smooth skin of Live Wire's forehead with her knuckles. Both Rogue and Live Wire screamed in pain upon the contact, and it wasn't the least bit pleasant, especially since Rogue felt like she was going to explode with so much energy rushing into her psyche and body. Even though the touch was only a split-second, the Southern-belle was amazed at how much power Live Wire actually had. Having enough, with all of her strength, Live Wire managed to send the both of them flying with a sudden discharge of electricity that literally engulfed the entire room, and gasping, Jean lost her hold on the savage electrical wretch as she used her telekinesis to shield everyone from being shocked to death. Sensing freedom, Live Wire managed to transform into a being of electricity and traveled out of the room in a flash before materializing and hoping to attack the building itself with her electrical pulses, hoping to cause a cave-in.

No such luck.

"Begone, Jezebel!" growled Storm, now incredibly angry as the winds around her dropped to sub-zero temperatures and picked up the speed and intensity of a typhoon, "You are not welcome here at our haven!"

Live Wire contemplated on trying to kill Storm right then and there, but a series of explosions from close-by caught her full-attention. Looking up, she saw the X-Men Boom-Boom, Magma, and Gambit up on the roof of the X-Mansion alongside Kurt, managing to hurl a series of plasma time-bombs, lava fireballs, and bio-kinetic cards directly upon Live Wire, raining down on the electric monster in a deadly hailstorm. Kurt had grabbed on all three of them and teleported the girls and Remy outside on top of the mansion for a good, aerial, bird's eye view of the field. And Amara, Tabitha, and Remy were teaming up their attacks for a deadly a precise combination that would have been enough to take out a Sentinel instantly, uniting their mutant powers as an unstoppable front exactly like Cyclops and Wolverine had taught them many times in the Danger Room.

Sensing the odds were against her, Live Wire did the next best thing. With a smirk, she transformed into an electrical being before immersing herself into a nearby power-line and traveled away from the mansion and towards the city in a hasty retreat.

"_Merde!_" snarled Gambit in rage, "The _femme_ is retreating! She's getting' away!"

"Like hell she will!" snarled Rogue as she and Storm took to the skies to track her down, flying as fast as they could in the direction Live Wire ran off in.

The Professor then telepathically told everyone, _X-Men, suit up and be prepared to leave in the X-Van. Wolverine, Razor, follow Rogue and Storm through your motorcycles and scout the areas up ahead, providing both of them additional support and backup. Cyclops, Jean, Bezerker, Iceman, Shadowcat, Colossus, Gambit, Nightcrawler, all of your come with me. Forge, Hank, both of you put the X-Mansion on high alert and keep the rest of the X-Men inside. If this is a ploy to trick us into leaving the X-Mansion vulnerable, then the rest must stay behind to guard Cerebro and our home from any hostile invaders and spies._

"Hey! That's not fair! We should get to come too! We fought the Alliance at Megakat City! We have a right to get this witch too! She attacked all of us!" protested Roberto, but Logan, not in the mood for any arguments, shot the remainder of the New Mutants the evil eye.

"No arguments, any of you!" With Logan being seriously annoyed, none of the X-Men wished to antagonize the elder even more.

"Aw, don't take it too personally, Roberto," crowed Ray, almost sneering, as he passed by, not resisting the urge to twist the knife, "I'm sure you'll eventually get a chance to prove your worth in a mission…**one of these days**."

Roberto angrily made a mental reminder to booby-trap Ray's bed again, but he made the most innocent smile he could muster and grinned, trying to suppress the urge to take his fist and ram it directly into Ray's mouth.

Within minutes, Wolverine and Razor managed to hurry to the garage where their personal, revamped and renovated X-motorcycles were. Logan's was pure, shiny black while Razor's was black, blue, and red, a similar design to the Cyclotron from his days as a SWAT Kat. Wolverine had to rib the kat a bit as Jake placed the red helmet over his head.

"You ready for your first mission, hairball?" Wolverine sneered, "It's not too late to back off now and save face to admit you're a coward openly."

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Razor shot back, his voice a bit aloof as he positioned himself into the seat of his motorbike. Wolverine smiled ever wider.

"It's one of the top ten in my most-wanted list, Clawson, along with **you** getting a flea collar and being shaved bald."

"You're just sore because the Professor, Hank and Ororo are forcing you to share half of your beer and booze supply with me…unless if you don't mind giving Kitty her driving lessons from now on," Razor shot back with fake sweetness. Logan had to irk; that one reason was enough to force him to comply with the others' ultimatum.

"Just try not to fall too far behind, hairball."

"Funny, I was about to say the same to you…**old man**," and with that, Razor smiled impishly, showing his fangs, gunned the motor of his bike and flew out towards the road before the stunned Wolverine could even react with his own motorcycle.

"It'll be a cold day in hell, punk!" snarled Logan to himself as he tore through the air after Razor, trying his best to close the gap between the two riders. And in a few minutes, all of the requested X-Men took off in the X-Van with the Professor, tracing the signal of Rogue and Storm's radio-communicators as they honed in to the carnival grounds on the outskirts of the city.

Meanwhile, back at the mansion…

"You do realize that there's no way we're going to miss getting back at that witch," Tabitha smiled meaningfully at the rest of the New Mutants. Amara, Roberto, Jamie, and Lockheed all smiled wickedly in return…

"What in the name of Shakespeare and Whitman?" gasped Hank as he and Forge felt the secret door to the hangar's passageway leading out directly into the public streets in front of the X-Mansion, and both Beast and Forge were horrified to see the Aquain tank-submarine come roaring out of the hidden alcove before going directly into Mach-2 and driving towards the carnival at Bayville Commons at sub-sonic speeds.

"How much do you want to bet that we're going to get blamed for this one?" Forge groaned, slapping a hand to his forehead.

"That is probably a most astute presumption," Hank sighed, "and I think I am beginning to see why Logan was so thoroughly against Jake teaching the New Mutants how to drive the Aquain last week along with Kitty."

"Just be grateful Razor didn't get to teach them how to handle the Blackbird as he originally asked the Professor."

000-

"People! We have an alert! Live Wire's been spotted in Bayville, and civilians are going to be in world of hurt!" yelled Roadblock in the living room of Misfit Manor.

"Live Wire!" gasped Cover Girl as she and the rest of the Misfit team rushed into the living room, "Aw geez, anyone but **that** loud-mouthed tramp!"

"You know her?" asked Lina.

"Let's just say that when she used to be Leslie Willis, an annoying DJ on one of the radio stations in Metropoilis, she said some very unflattering things about G.I. Joe and how Cobra should be regarded as liberal heroes against oppressive government fascists that kind of led to…a messy debate."

"Like she didn't deserve it, and she could never prove that G.I. Joe was responsible for the pig dung and African killer bees," Low Light smirked, "and if I recall correctly, you were the one who sent her a novelty, squirting toy toilet as a present when she was being incarcerated on Stryker's Island."

"Hey, she should be grateful I didn't send her that gag-gift of a rubber diaphragm," retorted the female G.I. Joe, smiling wickedly.

"What in the seven blue seas is that witch doing?" Shipwreck gaped as he watched on the radio-monitor the furious turmoil descending upon the happy, public gathering, the speakers echoing the screaming pandemonium as people scurried and ran for their lives, trampling some and pushing each other in a panic.

"Whatever she's doing, it's not good!" Spirit said as he and the rest of the Joes and the Misfits viewed the horrific scene of Live Wire attacking many men, woman, and children without remorse or guilt and managing to destroy the Ferris wheel and the merry-go-round with a simple flick of her hands, "She's attacking the carnival off Bayville Commons, a half-mile on the off-skirts of Bayville, north-northeast of the city's limits!"

"Then what are we waiting for, slowpokes!" Pietro said impatiently, "Let's move out!"

"Hey, that was **my** line!" Althea said with a bit of irritation as he gave Quicksilver a swat upside the head.

000-

"God help us," murmured Maggie Sawyer as she and the chief investigators from Gotham City, Commissioner Gordon, his daughter Barbara Gordon, and Detectives Harvey Bullock and Renee Montoya surveyed the entire facility of Stryker's Island, its bloodstained grassy fields and putrid aroma of decaying corpses starting to decompose as the last of the victims of the attack were properly bagged and tagged. It was the very next day after the attack on Stryker's Island when Maggie was alerted about the massacre, and even now, they were trying to make sense of all the senseless bloodshed.

That was why the Chief called in her friends and fellow cops from Metropolis; not only has Gotham had its share of ruthless and highly irregular criminals, but she was hoping that perhaps Commissioner Gordon and his posse could help shed some light and identify the criminals who committed the atrocious acts. And in addition, Gotham City and Metropolis had recently become close, almost as cities in tandem due to the strong friendships Maggie and Gordon had developed along with the team-up of Batman and Superman. Any trouble that arose in Metropolis would likely come to Gotham as well, and the Commissioner was grateful for the chance to prep up his city in case of such a similar attack with such insight and knowledge.

After all, knowing was half the battle.

"Dios Mio," murmured Renee Montoya as she surveyed the gruesome scene. She was a middle-aged Hispanic brawler, powerful and sharp, and who had endured enough crime and villainous activity like Joker and Poison Ivy and Clayface to be an experienced and dedicated cop. And unlike her partner, Harvey Bullock, Detective Montoya also knew that vigilantes such as Batman and his posse, though illegal, was something that strengthened and complemented the law rather than made a mockery of it.

"We'll have to alert the families and next-of-kin," whispered Barbara Gordon, her blue eyes quivering at the sight of a young man, no more than twenty-five, whose head was cleanly snapped from his neck, the veins and remnants of the spinal cords still dangling gruesomely. She put a hand over her mouth to force the urge to vomit to subside.

"That will be my jurisdiction, Barbara. You don't need to worry about it," Maggie said wearily, though she was not looking forward to informing them. She was an athletic woman with blond hair as short as a boy's, and her mind was as sharp as a sword when it came to the law and how to run the Metropoilis Police Force. She didn't blame the girl for feeling the urge to cry; she herself would have broken down and wept if it had done any good, if it had offered any chance of bringing back the lives that were ruthlessly cut short. All for that insufferable, disgusting, electric egomaniac.

"Whatever happened, it certainly doesn't seem to be the work of regular psychopaths we've dealt with," Commissioner Gordon stated as he looked at the landscape with his hands in the pockets of his trench-coat, "No laughing gas, no biological toxins or vegetation, we've yet to find a single bullet shell, and I'd doubt that even Croc can murder this many people so quickly. One or two yes…but not over one hundred men and women. And this was done so effectively and strategically, it spells out people who have fighting and warfare expertise, someone who has a lot of training and resources. This isn't you typical gang-shooting or mafia robbery. I mean, non-projectile laser discharges? Bodies burnt from the inside out? People hacked and torn apart? Whoever did this was sick…and powerful."

"Like Cobra? Or Hydra? They may have taken Live Wire to be used as their own super-soldier. Or it could have been done by some other terrorist or mutant group. You know how Magneto is always looking for powerful recruits," Maggie offered.

"I don't think so," admitted the white-haired, mustached man, "But whoever did this isn't human."

"It gets worse," Bullock muttered as he chewed on his toothpick with loathing and disgust at the thought, "The security cameras may have been trashed, but the surviving inmates were able to give some eyewitness accounts on the IDs of the bitches who broke that Willis tramp out. And when our units traced the residual DNA stuff from the brawl left at the scenes, they got a positive match in our databases of where these sluts are from. Let me give you a hint: they're not from this Earth, they've got unnatural weapons and abilities like mutants, and are led by some crackpot granny who used to back Intergang and calls the broads her 'Female Furies'. That rings any bells?"

"Apokolips!" gasped Barbara, instantly recognizing the name as it came to her who was involved.

Maggie's eyes hardened as she clenched a hand into a tight fist. She herself had a personal vendetta against Darkseid and his entire damned legion of hell, ever since her trusted and brave partner, Daniel Turpin was killed by Darkseid's Omega beams when he tried to attack Metropolis. Ever since that day of Turpin's death, she swore to herself that she would do everything in her power to ensure that the evil sides of the Fourth Dimension would never lay a foot on this planet and that Darkseid would regret messing with Earth. If the inhabitants of Apokolips think that she and the rest of the brave people of Earth would just simply give up and let them screw around with their home, they were going to get another thought coming. Dan Turpin died to refuse to submit to Darkseid, and she herself along with countless others will see to it that the legacy of his courage would continue on.

Commissioner Gordon, Barbara, and Detective Montoya also guessed the connection as well. Ever since that fateful day when Darkseid had his armies try to storm and destroy Metropolis, the name Apokolips became a worldwide paranoia, with the inhabitants of the Fourth Dimension being just as feared and infamous as Magneto and Cobra, if that was even possible.

"Then if Darkseid is involved with this…" Commissioner Gordon began.

"…then the Furies and that bastard master of theirs are going to get a little lesson in what happens when they screw with us," Maggie growled, already formulating what she needed to do quickly if they wanted to catch Live Wire.

"I'm sure Turpin would have been proud to hear that one," a figure spoke in a fond tone from behind and all five of them turned to see a familiar G.I. Joe general walking towards them.

"General Hawk." Both Maggie and Commissioner Gordon smiled at the sight of the G.I. Joe general, and it was common knowledge in the police forces in both Metropolis and Gotham City that General Hawk, Maggie Sawyer, and Commissioner Gordon knew each other from their teenage years, practically childhood friends. Even Dan Turpin liked General Hawk; General Hawk was former drinking buddies with Dan Turpin, and he attended the noble man's funeral after that fateful day. And it also came to no surprise that Maggie and Gordon were staunch mutant supporters and firm believers that the X-Men and Misfits were fighting for good of humanity, a good that was not made by the F.O.H or H.A.T.E.

Unfortunately, that move for advocacy has made Maggie and Commissioner Gordon has made more enemies than friends, both socially and politically. But there was little time to dwell on that.

Bullock's face was grim as he flatly said, "So what are you doing here, Hawk? I thought playing babysitter for a bunch of immature mutant kids would have tied up all your normal free-time with wasting government funds with your little Joe troupe there. And let me remind you, chump, that this isn't mutie-town; this was the work of those Apokolips freaks, so you're out of your jurisdiction here."

"Missed you too, Detective," Hawk smirked, not letting the brash man's words affect his goat in any way.

"You haven't been by recently," Commisioner Gordon said in a tone reminiscent of happy childhood memories, a past where they didn't have to worry about the sake of the world going to the shambles of hell, "Hell I haven't seen you over at the pub since you took it upon yourself to house the Misfits. But let's get to the real point; you're not here for a social call, I take it."

Hawk drew his mouth into a grim line as he asserted, "My Joe Mainframe was able to intercept an APB from Bayville's police headquarters. Live Wire was last spotted there a few minutes ago, and right now, she's probably causing a lot of havoc and destruction. We just sent out Misfits and some of our G.I. Joe soldiers over there to help contain her and protect the townspeople."

"_Bayville_? Isn't that the town in New York where the X-Men are?" Montoya asked, realizing what Live Wire would want to do in such a town. General Hawk nodded forlornly.

"She couldn't possibly be **that **stupid to take those crazy kids on," muttered Bullock, "All right, those kids are amateurs, delusional, and at best rookies playing a man's game of war, but I'd doubt that even Joker is off his rocker enough to mess with those mutant vigilantes. So what the hell could that blue-haired electric bimbo even want from the X-men and that Xavier stuffed shirt? Last time I checked, she doesn't even show any interest in anything not related to Superman or Bats back in Gotham. And to fight against a team of kids who are probably just as tough as she is is definitely a sign that she's not right in the head."

"Maybe she isn't doing this because she wants to," Montoya mused, rubbing her chin, "Remember, the Furies broke her out, and chances are, she's working for them now, so if she's in Bayville, then she's taking orders from them and Darkseid."

"True, but it doesn't fit their usual MO. Live Wire would only work with people if she was willing, like she had done before with Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy or when she, Metallo, Kalibak, the Toyman, and the Weather Wizard attacked the Daily Planet and nearly killed Superman. And even then, Live Wire is, at best, _almost_ as powerful as the bad guys from Apokolips; they would never try recruiting an Earthling for their services, especially since she doesn't serve much of a purpose to them. And the fact that she's going for mutants now doesn't make sense as well. I mean, the X-Men don't have anything to do with Superman or the Justice League, so why would they even be interested in them? They may be powerful, but there are many more powerful mutants or super-beings like Magneto, the Acolytes or the Avengers to tide them over. So, why not them and instead target on mutant teenagers who are probably not in full potential of their powers?" the Commissioner pointed out.

"Whatever it is, it can't be any good," Maggie said.

"What about the Justice League? They should be aware of this," Hawk asked.

"We tried contacting the Watchtower up in orbit when it was revealed that Live Wire broke out, but we didn't get any sort of response back. As far as we can tell, no one is on current active duty back at their satellite headquarters and, as for the moment, it's deserted, but it probably may be because they're all busy with their own separate missions and lives. I mean, isn't Wonder Woman still trying to convince her Amazons to revoke her exile with her home island, and weren't the other members of the Justice League investigating another possibility of Brainiac emerging again?"

"Hmph, probably think that they're too good to bother with lesser criminals and nutcases. Always knew you couldn't trust those kinds of freaks," muttered Bullock to himself as he stewed and glared off to the side. Barbara was inconspicuously silent, but General Hawk gave her the briefest glimpse out of the corner of his eye.

Maggie then said, "And besides, we just found out about the role Apokolips and Darkseid's Furies took in this little jailbreak, so even if the Justice League did get our message in time, Live Wire's still going to cause massive amounts of damage. Thank God for your Misfits and Joes to help us out…if **that **was what you were planning in the first place."

"Wild Bill's waiting for us over at one of the Joe's jets. We estimate we'll be able to arrive in Bayville in less than an hour," Hawk said encouragingly.

"You just know exactly what to do to get me started for a fight," Maggie grinned as she made a beeline for the airship. Commisioner Gordon and Hawk then spoke to the two Gotham detectives and his daughter before taking off to join her.

"Montoya, Bullock, you two are in charge of the investigation until we get back, and Barbara, continue with your help to get the Stryker's computer mainframe back on and in running order," the Commissioner ordered lightly, knowing that he could trust this responsibility with the trio.

"As if I wanted to go help out a bunch of army freaks, Commissioner," scoffed Bullock. Meanwhile, before he left with Gordon and Maggie, Hawk was discreetly whispering something to Detective Montoya before handing her a folded piece of paper. The female Gotham officer looked a bit taken aback as she took the piece of written instruction and held on to it in careful guardianship while Hawk and Gordon went towards the jet with Wild Bill. This was not lost on either Barbara or Harvey Bullock.

"What did General G.I. Jerk give you anyways, Montoya?" Bullock asked as they headed back to the main control room of the maximum security prison.

"He wanted me to investigate a lead for him, and since we're from Gotham City, he felt it would be best if we could look into it, especially since it might provide an explanation about why Apokolips is even involved in this mess in the first place," the Hispanic woman explained, though she was definitely flustered at what Hawk had confided in her.

"Well, I'll go into the rooms where the main servers are kept for the computers and make sure that my assistants are doing their best to reintegrate and restore the databases and security systems," Barbara said, and Montoya nodded while Harvey couldn't help but smile as he tussled the girl's red hair affectionately, like a little kid. It was no secret that he cared for Barbara like his own niece, and despite the fact that he as boorish, crude, and slightly tactless, had he been married, he would have been a devoted father figure.

"Just take care of yourself, kiddo. The Commish's going to have our heads if you should ever slack off your duty here, and that's **only** if he's in a good mood."

"Don't worry, I will. I let you guys know if we can catch anything incriminating in the security footage."

The Gotham detectives nodded, and the three parted ways. Yet Barbara, instead of going back to the computer center, took a detour behind a dark corner, before taking out her cell-phone from her pocket and dialing a number on speed-dial. The phone rang twice before another girl's voice answered.

"Hello?"

"Kara? It's me, Barbara Gordon," the redhead whispered carefully over the phone, her eyes darting warily around her to ensure she wasn't being eavesdropped or spied upon, "Listen, we've got a big problem, and we need to get to Bayville as fast as possible…"

000-

"Lord Darkseid, the X-Men and Misfits are converging over to where Live Wire has been instructed to do so, just as you have requested," the old lady spoke as she knelt down on one knee to the back of her omnipotent and all-powerful master of Apokolips. A massive hulking figure with rocky, cracked grayish-brown skin, searing glowing eyes of the Omega effect, and dressed in a black, sleeveless jumpsuit which did little to hide his incredible physical build, just stood by silently with his arms clasped behind his back and stared at the globe of the planet Earth from his throne window. Yet was most noticeable about the former alien, Uxas, was that his eyes, once a testament to his awesome might and power, were heavily scarred with horrific pink tissue growingly wildly underneath his concrete face. A reminder and a humiliating battle-scar of when he lost to Superman after coming close to conquering Earth.

Darkseid just remained as soulless and cold as his hardened heart as he gave no indication that he heard the elderly, sadistic ogress as he looked over his realm, with the pits of hellfire spewing massive columns of flames amongst the poor, unfed, and miserable slaves forced to do excruciating labor all for his name's sake. Yet despite every inch of the planet Apokolips being strewn with misery, hardship, cruelty, and cold, final nothingness, it was his kingdom where he would always remain ruler with an iron fist of oppression. This was his land, his home, his proud display of his omnipotent authority, and it pleased him. Here, he was lord and God of all. And it wouldn't be long when Darkseid would be even further pleased…

Who would have thought those lowly, plebeian Earthlings known as "mutants" would actually be of use to him now?

"You will be allowed to carry on with the X-Men and Misfits…**for now**," Darkseid literally growled those last two words in warning as he then said, "Move to Phase Two: _Research_. And do not fail me for if you do…you and the Furies will find your punishment to be painful…**very** painful."

"I will not fail, Master Darkseid," Granny Harkness said in a hard voice, "I will not rest until I seek revenge on Superman and his allies for what he did to you, to me and to my Furies. These mutants I shall gladly manipulate and kill to get that chance of vengeance and redemption."

With that, Granny left with the utmost respect and caution, the illuminating light catching a glimpse of the miniscule metal plates screwed into the back of her skull in a region devoid of any hair but secretly hidden. The master extraterrestrial continued to observe the daily routines of his kingdom before he then turned his attention to the girl in a separate chamber next-door to his, their rooms separated by a clear, durable plate of clear glass, and it was through this pane that the alien-tyrant watched Granny's brainwashing machine do its slow, agonizing work to the human girl strapped to it.

The girl then managed to stop her shrieking as she gave the demigod a look of untold fury, vengeance, and hate.

"When I get free, I will kill you, monster!" screamed the girl hoarsely, her throat dry with blood and cracked flesh, as she fought the urge to whimper and cry underneath the immense torture.

Darkseid just smiled patiently as he continued to watch the girl suffer to her brainwashing underneath the light of an enormous crystal, glowing ominously and bathing the room in crimson light…

**Author's Note: Yep, check back next Friday for the chapter, "Dirty Wars" in which the X-Men, the Misfits, and Joes have a VERY unpleasant surprise waiting for them at the carnival, and I don't just mean when they run into each other (which will be awkward to say the least)! And to clear things up: I'm placing this story during "Justice League", not "Justice League Unlimited" and though JL will have a part, as you have just seen, Batgirl and Supergirl have a big role in this story. What is it? You'll just have to wait and see! Until next Friday, read and enjoy! And constructive criticisms are welcome!**


	3. Dirty Wars

**Author's note: I wish to especially thank Red Witch, asha-man72, Animation Lasi, GothikStrawberry, L1701E, LoneGrowlithe, Sparky Genocide, and Aaron for the wonderful reviews! They really make my day! And encourage me to write and upload the chapters faster! Thank you!**

**Razor: As if your ego needed more blowing…**

**Althea: Remember people, if you don't review, he can't upload the chapters as much! So please for the love of God, stop encouraging him!**

**Oh be quiet! Enjoy, everyone!**

**CHAPTER 3: Dirty Wars**

"Oh, come on people! You should be glad Live Wire's here to light up this pitiful excuse of a party-town!" cackled Live Wire as she kept demolishing everything she could in the carnival, despite of how many people were in her way of the flaming wreckage and dangerous bolts of electric energy. Reducing metal to puddles, causing telephone poles and power cables to collapse dangerously upon each other, fires heartily consuming the trees and stands all around, explosions from the parking lot, the crackling _pop_ noises of light bulbs being overloaded from her power surges…it was all too easy. Already, there were several bloody cadavers lying still on the grass, either killed from her direct onslaught or trampled and crushed to death from flaming debris and the crowds of hysteria. There was even a body of a boy, barely four years old, holding the charred remnants of a teddy-bear while he was cruelly crushed to death from the heavy seat that fell from a high point of the Ferris wheel.

**_Live Wire!_** The girl then temporarily ceased her blitzes on the crowd as she clutched her head by her temples and screamed as her mind felt like it was being harshly squeezed by a red-hot iron vise as Darkseid emotionlessly intoned his power of the Omega effect in the most sensitive regions of the electric super-human's brain, giving her a very painful reminder to his influence on her current status-quo.

Darkseid's voice echoed in her psyche as she felt the metal apparatus threaten to detonate in her brainstem as it quaked from a faint emission of the flames of his Omega beams, **_You do well to not forget the true reason of why you are in Bayville, you pitiful Earthling. Make sure you coerce the X-Men and Misfits in arriving to our little testing ground successfully for our second phase. And keep in mind, girl, I am with you for every moment of your fragile and insignificant life as our lowly yet somewhat useful pawn. Fail me…and it shall be your last. Do I make myself clear, Earthling?_**

"I will…" Live Wire whimpered, nearly sobbing as the pain subsided a bit, but the cold fire in her eyes reflected the string of cuss words she was thinking in her head, her spirit refusing to submit to be anyone's subordinate…or slave as she felt the demigod of Apokolips leave her alone. It was so hopeless, like being an escaped convict on the run only to be caught by a police squad and then being generously let go…only to be shot in the back after taking a few steps.

"Damn you," she hissed with wrathful resentment and spiteful bitterness before she continued to assault the surroundings of the Bayville carnival, now angry enough to kill off everyone she could to appease herself.

000-

"We're here! X-Men, follow Code Theta Contain!" Cyclops said as he and the rest of the team disembarked from the X-Van along with Professor Xavier. Wolverine and Razor were not too far off, with Razor calibrating his glovatrix for prime battle while Wolverine looked on in horror at the obvious devastation of the carnival. There was no doubt about it. Live Wire was here, and if she wasn't stopped soon, more and more innocents would be seriously and horrifically injured, and based on the sentiments of the mass public, it would be most likely the X-Men and other mutants would get the blame.

"Where's Storm? And Rogue for that matter?" Bezerker asked as he hesitantly looked around.

"They're probably still up in the skies, searching for Live Wire from an aerial point-of-view. I just hope they're all right," Nightcrawler murmured worriedly.

"We may have to hurry," frowned Xavier as he placed a hand to his temple, probing the entire lands of the carnival with his telepathy with as much ease as one would find twiddling his or her thumbs.

"Professor, what's wrong?" Cyclops asked.

"I sense Live Wire is not alone here! Though they are not as overpowering as the mind-signals I am receiving from her, I can sense additional mutants here in the vicinity! And two of them are strangers, psyches that I have never sensed before in my life! We may be dealing with new enemies!"

"I'd be more worried about yourselves once we're done with you, you freaks!" snarled a voice, and the X-Men turned to see that they were not alone anymore. The entire carnival was filled with various humans, all of them armed to the teeth with strange and complex weaponry. All of the men and a few women were incredibly fit and athletic, their faces grim and darkened with incredible malicious hatred and loathing for the X-Men; even without going into their minds, Jean and Professor Xavier could sense the incredible feelings of opprobrium and venomous malevolence. It was almost unnatural to think they were even capable of such high levels of intensity. And each and every one of the strange humans was wearing a uniform made of slick, shiny material similar to the uniforms of the X-Men, except they were entirely dark gray and proudly bore badges displaying "H.A.T.E."

"Uh-oh, they're from H.A.T.E, you guys!" Bezerker gulped as he readied himself.

"Get the freaks, men! Wipe them off our planet!" snarled the leader as he and the others charged, brandishing their weapons and guns. Professor Xavier tried to use his telepathy to render them into a temporary comatose state, but to his surprise, other than their projected emotions, he was being blocked out completely! He couldn't even access the mob's surface consciousness; there was some sort of mental block in their minds. But that meant that in order for these mafia-men from H.A.T.E to even be **this** well-prepared in the first place…

"X-Men, watch out!" Xavier cried out as Colossus transformed into his armor mode to shield his mentor from the passing bullets, "They've been expecting us! It's an ambush! They're telepathically shielded from my mental probes! They're prepared against my powers! H.A.T.E. knew we were coming!"

"_Mein Gott!_" gasped Kurt in German as he teleported out of the way as one H.A.T.E female member tried to decapitate him with some sort of disturbing machete, it's blade not made of metal but of translucent purple plasma energy. Thinking quickly, the blue-furred Nightcrawler reappeared behind the woman and expertly kicked out with both feet directly into her lower back. Caught off guard, the woman pitched forward, landing onto her face and dropped her weapon before Nightcrawler then stomped on her back again, temporarily stunning her.

"_Ach_, I'm so sorry, _die Freundin_!" Nightcrawler apologized over his shoulder, wincing a bit as he was chased by another H.A.T.E. solider who was trying to club him with his rifle, "I normally don't hit girls!"

Meanwhile, Cyclops and Bezerker were trying their best to avoid the powerful energy discharges sent off by a large portion of the army of H.A.T.E. as the enlisted service-people were trying to cut the two teenagers down with wicked, glowing scimitars, the yellow blade heads pulsating with bright, burning power.

"Yeow!" yelped Bezerker as he unsuccessfully tried to electrocute the H.A.T.E. group, only to find out that their strange uniforms were well protected against electricity, even if he powered up to his full potential, "What the hell are these things? Not even the Joes have stuff like this!"

"And they're indestructible!" Cyclops shouted as he blasted a scimitar out of one soldier's hand, "No matter how much I concentrate on their blades, their spears can't be destroyed! I can't break 'em! It's almost like they're made out of adamantium!"

Then one man managed to hurl his scimitar like a javelin directly at Professor Xavier with pinpoint accuracy, and like an arrow, the razor-sharp shaft flew swiftly towards the wheelchair-bound leader. Colossus then deftly went in front of the X-Mentor and took the strike with full-force, thinking his armor would protect him.

No such luck.

"AAAAAAAUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!" screamed Piotr as he weakly sank to his knees, the head of the scimitar halfway embedded into his metal armor and managing to burrow painfully, like red-hot iron, into his flesh and searing his very senses. Despite the agony, Piotr was dumbfounded. How on Earth was this even possible? His armor was resistant to all sorts of energy-attacks and bullets, and though he never tried it, Wolverine himself would have had some difficulty in hacking into it.

"Peter!" cried out Kitty, nearly in tears, before she glared at the man, snarling, "I am like **sooooo** going to make you pay for that, jerkface!"

"You wanna start playing catch, then, _mon ami_?" snarled Gambit as he expertly flicked a five-card hand in between his fingers right before he flung them at the splinter H.A.T.E. club, sending many flying back from the powerful series of intense explosions, "Then let's see you try to catch a little game of five-card dodgeball, courtesy of Gambit LeBeau! Remember it, _monsieur_!"

"Don't worry, you're gonna remember** this**, you limp-wristed Frenchie!" snarled another solider as he aimed a strange, green-colored, oddly-twisted, metal wand with two glowing orbs on either end before he fired, and to Gambit's horror, he found himself along with Kitty trapped inside a huge, transparent bubble! Shadowcat tried to grab on to Remy and phase them out of the structure, but to Kitty's dismay, she couldn't. The walls of the sphere, though appearing to be extremely fragile, was strong, like a force-field and so dense, not even Kitty could walk through it.

"Hey, I can't like phase out!" Shadowcat cried as she pressed her gloved hands against the prison. The H.A.T.E soldier howled with glee, exuberant that he managed to detain two of the X-Men, before he pointed his wand again at Wolverine and Razor who were using their martial arts to beat back several solders very effectively. But before he could turn it on, a smooth hand, its fingers studded with silver rings and nails painted with black nail-polish, grabbed the back of his exposed neck. The H.A.T.E. combatant screamed at the touch, feeling like his very life force was being sucked out of him before he fell to the ground, unconscious. Rogue's face was impassive as she watched him fall before she clutched her head at the anguish of absorbing the man's psyche and mind-patterns.

Meanwhile, Storm had now arrived and was invoking artic winds to blow away the H.A.T.E. army, and the group was now truly in a bind as they immediately realized that their suit may have been indestructible to energy blasts, but **not** to the cold and force of powerful winds. A brunette then started to use some very strange gloves that immediately invoked two, giant marionette hands made of purple energy, the ghostly appendages as large as minivans, and with a sneer of bloodlust, both of the ethereal hands balled into fists before flying directly at the weather-witch.

"Back off!" yelled Jean as she placed her hands to her temple and invoked her telekinesis. And like clockwork, the female follower of H.A.T.E. was surprised to see that she no longer had any control of the energy puppet-hands before she painfully felt Jean smash the two energy-forms against each other rather excruciatingly. And as if attached to strings, the woman had no choice but to allow her hands to smash against each other as well, breaking her thumbs in the process. She shrieked in pain.

"You bitch!" she snarled, but already peeved, Jean sent the woman flying with a flick of her hand, and her telekinetic shove threw the fighter into the midst of a merry-go-round. Thanking Jean with a smile for her help, Storm then summoned a miniature tornado in the middle of the faction, rendering the H.A.T.E. extremists helpless.

Rogue managed to recollect herself after losing her bearings for a brief second as she felt the bigot's thoughts of hate and discrimination fill her consciousness…before the bestowed knowledge of how to use the bubble-scepter also popped inside the girl's mind, giving her the answer to help Shadowcat and Gambit.

"Get us out, _cherie_! Remy can't breathe!" choked Gambit as he tried to hold whatever precious molecules of oxygen he could treasure into his lungs, and due to the unbreakable prison, he was slowly but surely suffocating along with Kitty, both of them close to passing out. Growling, Rogue immediately snatched the odd-shaped wand the H.A.T.E. soldier dropped on the grass.

"YAAAHHH!" screamed Rogue in rage as she swing the pointed rear-end of the metallic-weapon into the spherical bubble's surface with all of her strength, and to her extreme, relieved satisfaction, there was a faint glow from the wand as it invoked some sort of invisible energy discharge of opposing polarity, and with a simply pop, both of the trapped X-Men felt the walls disappear as they toppled to the ground, gasping heavily. Rogue immediately rushed over to Gambit's side as Bezerker, Wolverine and Nightcrawler managed to perform a trio-attack to distract and forcefully disarm several troopers with a combination of martial, gymnastic moves and missiles from Ray and Kurt's glovatrix weapons.

"You all right, swamp rat?" Rogue asked worriedly. Gambit managed a weak grin before he placed a hand on Rogue's rear-end…which unfortunately led to the Southern belle sending Remy back to the ground with a swift punch to his jaw.

"Figures it's on the _one_ time I show that useless gumbo some sympathy!" griped Rogue as she helped Shadowcat up.

"Retreat, comrades! **_RETREAT!_**" cried the leader of the armed force, shouting over his walkie-talkie.

"Oh no you don't!" shouted Iceman as he chased after the retreating mass. Jake perked his head up worriedly as he saw Bobby go rushing headlong into the proverbial tiger's mouth.

"Bobby, get back here!" Razor cried as he chased after Iceman. Both of the tailed after the remains of the splinter group towards the parking lot where several armored limos were waiting, ready to dash off before the Bayville police came.

"Hey, two of those freaks are still on our tail!" cried out one H.A.T.E. solider.

"This'll stop them!" snarled the leader as he took out a strange bazooka-like gun and fired a single blast of sound which magically amplified itself over a thousand-fold before coming out directly towards the X-Teen. Bobby gasped before he felt Jake grab him around the shoulder while summoning up the Tesla force-field from his glovatrix.

"Get down!" he commanded as he put himself in front of Iceman.

That was the last sight Jake and Bobby managed to remember as the sonic discharge struck the both of them and sent them flying over fifty feet backwards, only to come crashing down against the steel-frames of the carnival kiosks before succumbing to painful unconsciousness.

000-

At the same time the X-Men had arrived to the Bayville Commons…

"Aw, is this it?" moaned Live Wire to herself in disappointment as she surveyed the now deserted and abandoned grounds littered with blood, debris, and an occasional dead body, "I wanted to have some more fun!"

"Then how about we play 'Dunk-the-Heartless-Witch'?" screamed a girl's voice in rage as the superhuman then heard a unmistakable sound of a powerful, surging, uncontrollable waterspout heaving directly towards her back, and instantly, Live Wire transformed into a single bolt of electricity before she teleported out of the way right before the massive force of liquid crashed where she stood seconds ago. The blue-haired terrorist then rematerialized to see a livid girl with black hair and blue-highlights in front of a oddly-gathered team of mutant teenagers and army-solders, most of them glaring at her with hateful anger. A girl with white, bobbed hair and a dragonfly-like appearance held her hands to her mouth in horror as she gasped, nearly crying.

"How could she? So many people! She even killed women and children!" she choked.

"It gets easier every time," smirked Live Wire as she readied her hands for an electric blast for the sorry-troupe.

Wavedancer was shaking with rage as she said lowly, "You are going to pay **big time** for what you've done, you slut! I'll personally make sure of that! Misfits, move out! Yo Joe!"

"YO JOE!" hollered all of the Misfits and the G.I. soldiers. At the battle-cry, Live Wire's eyes widened as she recalled the unique motto. Of course! They were the soldiers from G.I. Joe, and from the look of those kids, they were obviously mutants and powerful ones at that. And the fact that they were the Misfits sealed her deal with Darkseid. But then that meant…

"You!" Live Wire snarled upon seeing the familiar face of Cover Girl, a woman who had clashed and butted heads against Live Wire when she used to still be Leslie Willis, the controversial DJ. Now eager for revenge, Live Wire sent a continuous stream of electricity directly at Cover Girl. Reflexes springing in, Cover Girl managed to evade the blast by doing an effective roll-evasion technique, but Live Wire was not the least bit discouraged as she sent a multitude of streams upon the Misfits and Joes, sending many of them to scatter before sending another powerful flare directly at the female G.I. Joe at full force.

Low Light then managed to protect Cover Girl as he transformed into a full humanoid consisting of nothing but dark-colored rubber, his flesh rearranging his molecular structure into the electrically-resistant material, and as expected, the flash struck him directly in his broad chest before lingering a bit forcefully and vanishing into thin air. And Low Light was still managed to remain standing upright on his own two feet without even a scratch.

"What's the old saying, Live Wire?" Low Light snarled as he swung a fist, "I am rubber, you are glue…"

Like Mr. Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four, Low Light's arm extended with his fist flying towards Live Wire like a bullet with a soft, elastic noise, and quick on her feet, Live Wire managed to evade the flying, rubber fist, but distracted, it allowed Spirit, Roadblock, and Xi to throw several miniature capsules at the electric mutant, scoring all direct hits. Shrieking, Live Wire coughed and sputtered as she was enveloped within plumes and plumes of some sort of gray, ashy substance, and to her horror, she realized what it was as she felt the electric-impulses in her body cease altogether.

"Oh no…" she whispered to herself in horror, staring at her dust-covered hands.

"Like it?" Roadblock grinned as he and some of the Misfits and Joes advanced towards her, "It's silicone dust, a really handy tool to make your powers go bust! Since the thing's electrically resistant, it'll make our fight with you more persistent! Now with your electricity on the malfunction, we'll be able to send you back to maximum security for your homicidal dysfunctions!"

"What are you? Members of the Geek Poetry Squad?" Live Wire snapped as she lunged towards Roadblock, but Wavedancer was quicker as she jumped in front of her guardian and delivered a sharp right hook followed by an uppercut to the chin with a grunt. Upon the second punch, Live Wire rolled her eyes towards the back of her head and toppled over lifelessly.

"I told you I'd personally make you pay for what you did," exhaled Althea wearily.

"Looks like all we hafta do is take her back to Stryker's Island," commented Brittney.

"I don't think so, young one," a calm woman's voice said in the background, and before any of the mutants and Joes could realize it, they were all send backwards, flying before crashing onto the debris-filled grassy dirt. Althea and the Blind Master cursed themselves for not being aware sooner as they all looked up to see a robust, raven-haired woman, trim and athletically built underneath her long robes of midnight-blue and gold hem along with an strange golden-headdress around her forehead while she was holding a strange scepter, still glowing from its earlier discharge.

"Who the hell are you?" growled Shipwreck as he reached for the Eagle pistol strapped to his side, but the woman just glared at all of them with her cold, blue eyes before taking a weird-remote from her pocket and pressing the button.

"We shall meet again, Misfits," Big Barda intoned coolly as a portal of light appeared suddenly behind her, and picking up the unconscious form of Live Wire with one hand, she flew directly into the rift before it sealed behind her. Blind Master was truly troubled as he sensed the appearance of the tear in the space-time continuum…it was so unnatural.

"It couldn't be," he murmured.

"I can't believe we lost her! We lost Live Wire!" raged Cover Girl in frustration. But unfortunately, at that very same moment…

"**Kill them, troops! Death to the freaks and the freak-lovers! Kill them all!**" commanded a woman as she and a massive throng of members of H.A.T.E., all of them armed with strange weapons, completely besieged the Joes and the Misfits.

"Aw, geez, not these guys, yo!" Toad groaned as he drew out his wooden bo staff strapped on his back and flung himself upon the attackers along with Xi and Low Light. A man then used his energy-gloves to create two giant replicas of his hands in the form of plasma-specters before he sent them to crash down directly on the three warriors. Lance, however, would have none of that.

"Back off!" Avalanche snarled as he used a good portion of his strength to terra-form the ground, and amazingly, two powerful columns of dirt and earth rose up from the floor, spiraling up towards the heavens and forming thick yet flexible pillars. With a snarl, Avalanche motioned the columns of dirt to block the hand-marionettes before bringing them down upon the dirt and pinning them down with extreme vigor before Avalanche succeeded in crushing the specters flat, and the H.A.T.E. soldier certainly felt every bone in his hands break from the impact as a result to Lance excruciatingly compressing the energy-link.

"Augh! My hands! **_That little punk broke my hands!_**" he hollered in rage.

"Your lucky I don't decide to break the rest of your body along with it, you fascist!" snapped Lance as he sent a powerful tremor to rock the ground and send a good fraction of the unit to topple over, trip, and fall.

Meanwhile, Spirit and Blind Master were busy trying to fight three men, two of them wielding energy-scimitars and one wielding a blade of plasma. With a sneer, the man expertly sliced through Blind Master's cane, neatly rendering it useless while Spirit was having a bit of trouble trying to dodge the blasts from the scimitars.

"Well, strike me down!" leered the H.A.T.E. minuteman as he got ready to stab Blind Master, "I'm actually supposed to be scared of a blind cripple?"

Grinning, the African-American ninja master simply strafed to the left at the last second before delivering his foot to the back of his attacker's knee, satisfied at the soft _crack_ of the opponent's kneecap splintering. The H.A.T.E. military man cried out before he toppled to his knees, which allowed Blind Master to deliver a downward chop to the back of the bigot's head.

"Strike you? Well, thank you for the invitation! Don't mind if I do! And thanks for the free weapon!" Blind Master grinned as he picked the unconscious man's energy machete.

The men who were trying to kill Spirit suddenly found themselves weaponless as a silver blur passed by them, and Spirit suddenly found himself armed with one of the energy-scimitars and Pietro took off again.

"Spirit, thought you could use some help!" Quicksilver yelled as he dashed in and out, weaving in between many of the H.A.T.E. soldiers and stealing their weapons from them.

"Thank you, young one!" Spirit responded back as he let loose a fierce energy discharge from his newly acquired mace which sent both of the H.A.T.E. members screaming before they crashed to the ground, seriously burned and unconscious, but luckily still alive. The Native-American Joe looked at the weapon with troubled amazement. By the Great Spirit, this was not a normal weapon, even by **their** standards…

Wavedancer and Xi were busy fighting back to back, watching each other's exposed side, as they kept trying to deflect and dodge the multiple bullets and laser blasts as they were shot at from both sides. It was then that Xi came to a hasty decision…

"Wavedancer, switch with me!" Xi yelled suddenly, and on cue thanks to endless training and honing their techniques to by synonymous as one mind, Althea ducked and leveled her back as a stepping stone to allow Xi to back-flip towards the alternate opponent using Althea's body as support while Wavedancer simultaneously threw several razor-sharp ninja-stars towards Xi's foe in the opposite direction.

The brilliant play worked. Xi leapt high into the sky before descending upon the two men who were shooting at Althea, and both of them were quickly pummeled into submission as the snake-like mutant struck out with his claws ripping apart their resistant, protective uniforms in a matter of seconds. Althea, on the other hand, managed to embed the ninja-stars directly into the hands of the three men, and howling with rage and pain, they all dropped their guns. Thinking with natural quickness and her ninja expertise, Wavedancer flipped forward into the very middle of the trio before she delivered a single palm-punch directly upwards towards the man's nose, breaking it while she simultaneously delivered a backward push-kick into the second soldier's stomach. After elbowing the third man in the sternum, Althea picked up one of the dropped rifles before she slammed it directly into the forehead of the H.A.T.E. solider behind her, rammed the head of the gun into the gut of the third trooper, before swiveling around and bringing the butt of the rifle down directly upon the head of the last soldier with a satisfying _whack_.

Wavedancer simply smiled to herself as she saw the three men topple over to the ground, unconscious, before she ran off to help Shipwreck and Roadblock deal with several other H.A.T.E. warmongers.

Cover Girl and Low Light were busy trying to retaliate with another small faction. Thanks to Quicksilver, Cover Girl easily gave them enough trouble with a stolen energy-scimitar, but several H.A.T.E. soldiers then aimed powerful laser cannons directly at Low Light before they all fired.

Low Light snarled as he again turned his body into pure, misshapen glass, the material in wild, quartz form, unpolished and every part of his body reflecting the sunlight shining upon him and Cover Girl in different angles. Undaunted, Low Light managed to raise a prism-like arm directly in the path of the laser beam, and by a sheer stroke of luck, the various angles of Low Light's glass arm managed to refract and divert the intense beams of deadly radiation directly back to the guns of the soldiers themselves, reflecting their attacks right back. Like a well-known example of a glass prism, the Joe solder simply used his ability to change the make-up of his body to glass to reflect the beam right back at their oppressors.

"Arrrrggghhhh!" hollered one H.A.T.E. minuteman as the beam struck his guns and barely grazed his hands, immediately melting off the skin of his appendages rather painfully while reducing his powerful gun into a disgusting pile of molten metal and runny liquid which was actually the hate-monger's flesh and blood liquidized into goop from simply being singed by the laser. This gave Toad the opportunity as they flung himself onto the fray, and thanks to his powerful legs and a few whacks with his staff, all of the attackers were quickly subdued.

"Yo, we are rubber, you are glue! It bounces off of us and sticks to you!" laughed Toad as he delivered a roundhouse kick directly into the temple of the last remaining H.A.T.E. zealot.

At the same time, several soldiers then used a very weird weapon as they all fired a big, gelatinous blob of slime towards Freed, Lina, and Wanda. Blob immediately rushed in front of the two female Misfits, instinctively protecting them, but not without a price.

"AAAUUUGGHHHH!" screamed Blob as he fell to his knees, the gelatinous green blobs of slime spreading down his entire body by the second, translucent yet it was setting every cell and nerve in his body on fire despite his impervious skin. And like it was alive and sentient, the slime was spreading its noxious aura, almost consuming the fat Texan Misfit bit by bit.

"Fred!" gasped Lina. Wanda then looked more closely, and she saw to her horror, within the green slime were tiny specks, microscopic robots that were actually living inside the mold and were trying to burrow into Fred's skin. And despite his invulnerability, it was doubtful that he would last much longer from the strange microbes. Scarlet Witch then remembered what they were when Airtight and Mainframe taught one of their classes.

"Oh my God, they're like nanites!" gasped Scarlet Witch.

"That's right, and you're next!" sneered one of the women of H.A.T.E as they all aimed their guns, but then Wanda had enough.

"I've got a better idea!" growled the goth mutant as she flicked her ringed-fingers at Blob, and with a strange, sickening popping noise, to the attackers' collective horrors, the slime-mold of nanites dissolved off of Blob's body, and thanks to Wanda's probability-inducing hex-bolts, the slime starting reforming back into spheres and projectiles only to come flying back towards their oppressors.

"Augh! Get it off! **Get it off!**" screamed another servicewoman as she furiously tried to free herself from the slime, but thanks to Wanda's hex-bolts, it wasn't going to happen.

Justin, meanwhile, found himself alone and face to face with a wicked man wielding an even more wicked-looking rifle.

"G…gu-…gun!" whimpered Whitelighter as he held his hand out, trying to orb the man's weapon next to him, but he was so nervous, the teenager could only cause the rifle to shimmer faintly in a silver outline before the haze died away.

"Oh crap," whimpered Justin as the man just grinned before pointing his gun, aiming the armor-piercing bullets into Justin's heart.

Then miraculously, Justin felt himself get picked up and carried out of harm's way before the enemy could even blink.

"For crying out loud, why do I always have to save your worthless butt?" griped Quicksilver as he stopped running, still having a death-grip on Whitelighter with one arm around the cubby boy's waist.

"Thank you, Pietro," gasped Justin, nearly crying from coming that close to death.

"And will you quit thanking me for everything? It's annoying!" snapped Quicksilver.

"I'm sorry," Justin confessed.

"**THAT'S** annoying too, chubby-cheeks!"

"Dragonfly, get Whitelighter out of here! He's not used to fighting yet!" Blind Master hollered as he helped Wavedancer disarm the remaining factions of H.A.T.E with Shipwreck and Roadblock, thoroughly concerned for his son. Dragonfly nodded as she obediently grabbed Justin's hand and led him discreetly out to safety.

Yet it was only when they reached the outskirts of the carnival grounds before Lina and Justin stumbled on a disturbing sight.

"Oh my God!" gasped Dragonfly as she and Whitelighter rushed over to the unconscious forms of Razor and Iceman, lying on their sides in the grass, the green turf staining into dark pools from their blood. Whitelighter's face blanched as he felt the urge to throw up intensify along with the nervous butterflies in the stomach, but Dragonfly, summoning every bit of medical training Lifeline and Bree taught her over the months, managed to look over both the kat and the ice-mutant in a professional and collected, hawk-eyed manner.

It was then that the insect-like mutant noticed the telltale yellow and black uniforms with the obvious "X" symbol on their apparel, and she immediately guessed who they were.

"Oh my gosh, they're X-Men!" she gasped as she took Bobby's pulse by placing two fingers on the main artery on his neck, relived to find it still beating strongly.

"X-Men? They're _X-Men_?" gasped Justin, not sure how to feel about this, but he knew that this was an emergency. Both the kat and the teenager were badly hurt, and everyone else was too busy trying to fight back H.A.T.E.

"Uuuhhhh…" groaned Iceman as he was slowly regaining consciousness, only to find himself in immense pain, his chest on fire along with the dawning realization that he lost all feeling in one arm. Despite the pain, Bobby was then startled to see two unknown strangers kneeling over him, and alarmed, the teenager tried to bolt up and get into a fighting position, thinking that Justin and Lina were enemies, but the sudden movement cost him dearly as he felt his next cry out in agony.

"Aaaaaahh!" Iceman moaned in pain as he fell back to the ground none too gently, now realizing that he must have broken his arm when the soldiers of H.A.T.E. ambushed him and Razor…along with some other body parts.

"Don't move!" Dragonfly ordered sternly as she began spitting out some of her healing silk on a horrific gash on Iceman's head, immediately forming an airtight and sterile bandage, "You're hurt, and any sudden movements might result in causing your injuries to go worse, not to mention I need to make sure your neck isn't fractured. Please, lie still!"

"Don't touch me," Bobby tried to threaten, his left hand glowing softly with artic energy as he shakily tried to force the girl with white hair and green eyes and wings to leave him alone, every muscle quivering from exertion and shock of his injuries. Dragonfly held her hands up to show to Iceman she was yielding with no intention of harm; given his current state, she wisely remembered Lifeline and Bree's advice to not give any reason for a patient to be hostile unless absolutely necessary and Iceman was clearly in a position to not be taken lightly.

Still disoriented, Bobby tried to wake up his instructor, whispering hoarsely as he kept his eyes trained on the two mutant strangers, "Razor…Razor, c'mon, wake up! Wake up, dammit! We need to get out of here!"

Lina's eyes widened in horror as she said solemnly while pointing a finger at the kat, "Um…I don't think he's going to be waking up for long if we don't help him soon."

It was then that Iceman and Whitelighter looked at Razor's body more closely to see a horrific and dreadful sight. When the kat had crashed against the kiosk due to the intensity of the attack, he unluckily landed on top of a jagged piece of the metal infrastructure. And like a nightmare, the jagged pipe had gorged completely through Razor's midsection, the tip completely slicked with hair, pieces of torn flesh, and dark blood, and the kat, though unconscious, was painfully breathing, his chest vainly trying to rise and fall despite the lethal stab wound from the rod embedded through his stomach.

"Oh…" moaned Justin before he did the only rational thing that came to him. He swiveled around, fell to his knees and threw up right there and then on the grass, emptying his stomach. Dragonfly fought the urge to roll her eyes in exasperation as she threw her caution to the winds and rushed by Razor's side.

"Leave him alone! Don't touch him!" Iceman snarled, though his head was increasingly pounding with dizziness as he was close to entombing the dragonfly-girl in a pillar of ice, grabbing Lina roughly by the arm. Dragonfly then whirled her head angrily, at her rope's end.

"I'm a medic-in-training, you idiot!" she snapped in frustration, "If I were your enemy, I wouldn't even bother helping him or you! And if you don't let me help him, he's going to get worse! Do you want Razor to die?"

Bobby looked sullen as he cast his eyes downward, not bothering to answer, his head swimming in guilt. Lina took the lack of response as an answer as she knelt down next to Razor's prone form. It was quite serious, and Dragonfly didn't have the right surgical tools in her pack to effectively treat this kind of impalement, not to mention that she couldn't effectively do anything to patch up the stomach organ that was slowly leaking hydrochloric acid into his bloodstream, killing the X-Man bit by bit.

"What are you waiting for?" Iceman wheezed as he fell to his knees weakly, "Can't you just pull it out? Don't just stand there! Do something!"

"I can't pull it out like that!" Dragonfly explained steely, "If I pull out the pipe, I might make the wound even worse and risk damaging his internal organs even more from the trauma! It needs to be surgically removed, but there's not enough time for that! And even if I try sealing the wound with my silk, it won't stabilize him!"

Then it hit her.

The dragonfly-mutant yelled over her shoulder, "Whitelighter, come here and help me! I need you to heal Razor!"

Still a bit shaky, Justin managed to wipe his mouth as the nausea subsided. The cubby teenager then managed to kneel next to Bobby and Lina as Lina then explained, "Whitelighter, I need you to heal Razor, but before you can do that, the pipe needs to be removed! Orb the metal stake out of Razor quickly and then heal him!"

Nervous, Justin held out his hands and said shakily, "Pipe!"

Nothing happened. Justin said a bit more forcefully, "Pipe!"

The pipe still remained, and Lina was starting to grow increasingly worried. Time was of the essence. Justin tried again several times but he couldn't get it, that sudden surge of warmth and vitality in his body.

"Can't you do anything right?" roared Bobby, now nearly distraught on seeing his favorite teacher dying with absolutely no one doing anything worth a damn to help him. It was then that Justin lost his patience.

"Well it's hard for me to orb a stupid pipe when I'm given a lot of pressure!" he snapped heatedly, but it seemed that his rare temperamental emotions were the right circumstances for at the mere mention of the word, "pipe", with a luster of white sparks, the jagged piece of metal teleported out of Razor's midsection and into Justin's hands. Whitelighter then noticed he was holding a metal stake smeared with the kat's blood, and disgusted, Justin freaked, yelping, as he dropped the pipe on the grass in surprise. Dragonfly let out the breath she was holding out with relief as she then noticed the kat's stomach wound was gushing profusely.

"Whitelighter, heal him! Quick!" she ordered.

Justin then awkwardly placed his hands on Razor's abdominal and let the light consume the kat. Dragonfly sighed in relief; it would take a while, but Razor was safe for now. The dragonfly-girl then turned her attention to the weakened, shivering Iceman with great consideration and gentleness. The stress of it all finally got through to the teenager as he started to experience the first signs of battle-shock, his hands quaking so much, they were nearly in convulsive spasms.

"He'll be all right," Dragonfly said soothingly, gently, as she took out a roll of sterile bandages and began to wrap a nasty, deep gash on the X-Man's forearm, "Don't worry, but let me tend to you now. You're also badly wounded, and I think you're going to need to fix that broken arm quickly and soon."

Now the pain and the soreness of H.A.T.E.'s attacks on him and Razor was beginning to catch up with him as Bobby nodded weakly, resting his weight against an upright pole that used to be the center support-beam of a now demolished tent, close to passing out. He couldn't help but realize, despite his tiredness, how much his insides were tingling when he watched Lina cautiously and gently tend to his wounds with either medical supplies from her bag or by spitting globs of silk from her mouth.

Unfortunately, the respite was not to last for the group.

"Get away from them!" shrieked a voice in rage from a bit off in the distance, and both Justin and Lina looked up to see the angry group of New Mutants of the X-Men staring with much anger and vengeance at the two unknown-Misfits. Justin was confused.

"Huh?" was all he could utter dumbly.

"What did you do to them?" screamed Tabitha as she readied an enormous plasma time-bomb, about as big as a bowling ball, "Get your hands off Iceman and Razor, or so help me, I'll make sure your guts get strung up all over this place!"

"I suggest you listen to the nice young lady, and scram back with that Live Wire chick, you greenhorns!" growled Cannonball as he prepared himself to launch directly at the two. Lina's eyes then widened in horror as she realized what it must look like to them; the X-Men thought that she and Whitelighter attacked the two anonymous X-Men and were working with Live Wire. These New Mutants must have thought that Justin and Lina were enemies.

"For the last time, get your hands of Razor and stop whatever you're doing to him! You're hurting him!" Multiple cried, beside himself and now furiously defensive of Jake as he multiplied into five other clones, each of them armed with their own respective glovatrix, before aiming a single mini-rocket directly at Whitelighter whose glowing hands were still rested on Razor's wound. Whitelighter was now truly scared. If he stopped healing the cat-like X-Man, he and Lina would be safe but Jake's injuries would get worse (and quite possibly he would die from them). And if the two Misfits ignored the warnings, they would get attacked by the X-Men.

"We can't do that!" snapped Dragonfly heatedly, "We're healing him! If we stop, he'll die!"

Bobby then weakly managed to put himself in front of Lina before the New Mutants could fire.

"What?" gasped Sunspot.

"Don't hurt them, you guys!" Iceman yelled hoarsely, as insistently as he could while shielding Dragonfly, "They helped us! **_Don't hurt them!_** They saved me and Jake! They weren't the ones who hurt us! They're helping us! Razor's badly hurt, and they're trying to help him!"

There was then a sudden, loud groan as Razor regained consciousness as Whitelighter finished healing the kat, and disoriented, Jake pushed himself up into a sitting position as Whitelighter respectfully backed off. The other New Mutants were greatly relieved as they rushed to their teacher but not before the other X-Men along with Professor Xavier then arrived in plain view. Most noticeably, Rogue and Colossus were missing from the scene. Upon seeing Bobby and Jake, all of them showed extreme elation and peace of mind, but then that soon disappeared when they saw two unfamiliar teenagers nearby.

"You're the X-Men!" Justin couldn't help but blurt aloud as he slowly began to recognize the familiar figures he saw so many times in numerous news reports back at the Lavadome. Wolverine's eyes then narrowed a bit at the two young mutants. There was no way these kids just came into this fire-fight and just somehow managed to come across as helpful while evading H.A.T.E.'s attacks; it was _way_ too convenient. And the thoughtful minds of Cyclops, Professor Xavier, and Cannonball were apparently thinking of the same thing.

"That's right, and like, who are you two?" Shadowcat asked.

Justin then thought it might be best if they were candidly honest with the X-Men as he replied nervously, "I'm…I'm Whitelighter and this is Dragonfly. We…we're mutants, like you."

"How convenient that you show up to help Iceman and Razor when we get attacked by H.A.T.E," Scott announced suspiciously.

Bobby then explained the whole thing as the group silently and respectfully listened. There was a short pause after Iceman finished, although several such as Amara and Jamie were smiling thankfully at Lina and Justin.

Razor then turned to Cyclops, Jean, and the Professor, adding, "I believe them, and I don't see any indication of why they should be lying. H.A.T.E. and the Friends of Humanity wouldn't even send mutants to do their dirty work, and they wouldn't heal us if they were working for that electric mutant who attacked us back at the Mansion."

"Me too. I trust 'em," Iceman added insistently.

"I don't," Jean said simply, crossing her arms over her chest before addressing to Lina and Justin, "No offense, you two, but after dealing with some strange tactical-strike by H.A.T.E. and having some strange electric super-mutant who blasted us back at our home, we're not exactly sure we can call your good timing to appear here as purely coincidental and fortunate."

"Hey, doesn't helping Razor and Iceman help prove anything?" protested Dragonfly angrily, placing her arms on her hips. Jean just returned the glare back.

"Not in my book," she said coolly.

Justin fearfully placed a clammy hand on Lina's arm before the insect-like mutant could tell the red-headed telekinetic off, "Lina, don't…you can't blame her."

"Why don't we discuss this at the X-Mansion?" Professor Xavier broke in gently, "And to you two, Whitelighter and Dragonfly, I and the other X-Men thank you for your help. We are very grateful that we are fortunate enough to have you two come across Robert and Jake when you did. If you wish, you can come with us as our respected guests?"

Jean managed to look a bit irritated and impatiently scandalized as she spoke to the leader of the X-Men via a telepathic mind-link, _Professor, aren't you even going to look into their minds? We don't know what they're doing here or if they really are who they claim to be!_

_I understand your concern, Jean, but rest assured, I am not that foolhardy. If we try to make a friendly acquaintance with these two young ones, then it shall be easier to pick up on any stray thoughts when they are not as defensive and nervous. We want to show that we mean them no harm as well as they mean no harm to us. And if we can convince them to accept an immediate invitation for them to come to the X-Mansion for a visit, it shall be safer and easier to see if Whitelighter and Dragonfly are not our enemies._

Jean scowled a bit, but she had to agree deep down. In the ruins of a carnival where a massive battle was fought and where it was a potential crime scene which would result in hundreds of members of the law enforcement, it was not the safest place to linger around.

Some of the New Mutants now began grinning at the two new mutants, starting to warm up. Jamie then piped up excitedly.

"Hey, Whitelighter, Dragonfly, do you two wanna come with us? We live over in Bayville in a huge mansion, and we can let you guys stay to have some dinner with us! You wanna come with us, sleep-over, join our team?"

"_Merde_, the kid needs to learn something about being too tactful," Remy sighed, but he had to admit to idea of having Justin and Lina as new recruits for the X-Men was a bit appealing. And some were tempted to agree with Multiple. Yet to their confusion, Justin and Lina's faces were a bit scandalized as they glanced at each other meaningfully, taken aback.

"Um…actually, we…already belong on a team," Dragonfly admitted a bit nervously in a whisper, knowing that the X-Men weren't going to like the inevitable answer.

"Come again?" asked Ray, his eyes crinkled in shock.

"Another team?" mused Storm as she placed a hand on her hip, "How odd…except for Magneto and his Acolytes, there is no other mutant team except maybe -"

And as if on cue…

"Whitelighter, Dragonfly! Hey you guys, I found 'em!" yelled Quicksilver as he suddenly appeared next to Justin and Lina in a cloud of wind and dust thanks to his super-speed.

"Quicksilver?" gasped Kurt in outrage. It was then that the speedster noticed that Justin and Lina weren't alone.

"Huh? **FUZZBALL!**" he shouted in gall.

"Hey, what's with all the commotion, yo?" Toad asked as he and the Misfits and the Joes came around the bend…only to see the X-Men with their newest recruits and Quicksilver.

"Oh no…" Scott groaned as his face grimaced.

"What the - ?" Avalanche exclaimed.

"Whitelighter, Dragonfly, what are you two doing with the X-Men?" Cover Girl asked, surprised. The X-Men gasped at the nonchalant familiarity of Cover Girl's voice, meaning one obvious thing…

"You're with **them**?" Jean blurted out in horror to Justin and Lina as she pointed at the Misfits. Both of the new mutants nodded silently.

At once, the Joes, the Misfits, and the X-Men bar Lina, Bobby, Jake, Justin, Jean, Cover Girl and Pietro echoed the same thought in stupefied shock…and outrage.

"**YOU?** What are **you** doing here!"

**Author's Note: Well, thanks for tuning in for another chapter, you guys! Check back next Friday in "Unwelcome Reunions" as the X-Men and Misfits now meet each other face to face, and find out how the new recruits are taking the tension as Jake, Lina, and Justin meet the other team for the very first time. And there shall be a tragic end to a long-time romance problem (or will it be the end?)! And as if things won't be awkward enough, trouble brews even more as both the enemy and allies converge to Bayville…**

**Toad: Just outta curiosity, how badly are we gonna be humiliated in this fic?**

**Not a lot…only once in a while…for every paragraph in the upcoming final battle. And maybe a few times in the chapters beforehand. And you won't be alone! Your new friends will join in on the embarrassing…er, dramatic scenes!**

**Supergirl: We hate you…SO MUCH.**

**Then that's a sign I'm doing something right! (grins)**

**Read and review! Constructive criticism welcome!**


	4. Unwelcome Reunions

**Author's note: OK, there's some confusion about my universe's setting. I'm placing this series after Red Witch's fanfic, "The Great Misfit Island Adventure" so as a result, Lina had never met the X-Men in "I Hate New People"! My Misfit-take deviates from Red Witch's universe after the X-Men and Misfits parted ways after "Tremors of the Past". So basically, though Lina/Dragonfly joined the Misfits, she never got a chance to meet the X-Men and the Misfits ran into Lina some other time after the events of the island adventure and adopted her before the X-Men could. In other words, my story is an AU of an AU! In short, I've changed it so that Lina joined the Misfits after "The Great Misfit Island Adventure" and she never ran into the X-Men in the first place! And yes, there was a reason for her to come in earlier than Red Witch wrote in, but I thank Red Witch especially for being gracious and wonderful enough to allow me to write her universe this way!**

**Jean: Gee, an alternate universe of another alternate universe? How original…**

**Quiet you. Enjoy this chapter everyone!**

**CHAPTER 4: Unwelcome Reunions**

"I don't believe this!" shouted Roberto as he looked back at Justin and Lina, "You're _Misfits_!"

"Misfits?" Now it was Razor's turn to be confused as he looked at the Joes, Althea, and the ex-Brotherhood before resting his eyes on Justin and Lina. He had heard about them from Scott, Jean, Tabitha and Kurt, but unfortunately, all four of the testimonial accounts were incredibly conflicted and opposing each other, making it hard to determine the real truth. And considering this was the first time the kat had ever seen or met G.I. Joe and the Misfits, he didn't know what to feel. And the very same could have been said of Lina and Justin towards the X-Men.

"Of course! Why not?" Cyclops griped, throwing his hands to the sky, "Whenever there's trouble, the Misfits **always** have to come and make things worse for us!"

"Shut up, Summers!" snarled Lance, "We're not in the mood!"

"You shut up, Rock-Head! Why don't you go wreck another building or set another fire after beating someone to death?" snapped Gambit.

"That was a cheap shot, you jerk!" Quinn yelled, having half a mind to zap Remy with her psychic lightning.

"Watch it, you un-housebroken, Cajun sewer rat!" growled Scarlet Witch, her hands glowing, "I don't care how mad Rogue gets, but cross that line again and I'm gonna ram your cards so far up, you're going to permanently shuffling five-stud hands out of your mouth!"

"Wolverine?" Spirit gaped a bit, "Did you…did you get your hair shaved off or what?"

"I **don't** want to talk about it, Spirit!" growled Logan while shooting a sheepish Kitty a death glare and wishing to God that the damn hairball didn't teach the kids how to make their own glovatrix weapons.

"So what are you doing here, Toad?" Amara asked, crossing her arms over her chest and frowning, her voice hard and immensely defensive, already anticipating the worst reasons possible. The frog-like Tolensky immediately took it as a condescending insult.

"What business is it of yours, yo?" he stated shortly, "We have as much of a right to come here as you do, Princess Prissy!"

"Hey, don't speak to me like that, bog-breath! I'm royalty! And we have more of a right to be here than you since we're usually the ones to clean up the messes you Misfits make in the _first_ place!"

"Royalty? **_You?_** **HA!** A royal pain is more like it! And keep in mind that every royal family has a few illegitimate, inbred embarrassments!" snapped Brittany.

"Watch it, kid, or you're gonna find a time-bomb lodged in that big beak of yours!" Boom-Boom threatened, already jumping to her friend's defense as Amara started shrieking at the Delgado Triplets, hysterical at the insult to her noble lineage.

"Just you try it, psycho-witch!" challenged Daria.

"Can't you keep your Misfits under control? They're causing a scene!" yelled Storm, already at her wits' end and aggravated at the yelling.

"Excuse me?" shot back Cover Girl, offended at the insinuation that the entire fiasco was by fault of the Misfits and the Joes, "We could say the same to your students, Ororo! And unlike **you**, we don't keep kids on leashes!"

"I'm warning you, Pietro, stop making funny faces at us!" Ray snarled, charging up.

"And what are you going to do about it, Sparky?" Quicksilver taunted, blowing a raspberry.

"Why you little - !" the red-and-yellow haired electric mutant snarled before he tried to tackle him but without success.

"Get 'em, Lockheed! Burn him alive!" screamed Kitty, pointing Pietro with a finger and sending her roaring pet dragon on the speedster's tail.

"Stormy!" cheered Shipwreck as he eagerly hugged Ororo from behind, nearly glomping her with a very affectionate and groping bear-hug, "Missed ya, Stormy! Aren't you glad to feel, uh, _see_ me?"

"**_GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY CHEST, YOU PERVERT!_**" Storm shrieked as she broke out of the hold and started walloping the G.I. Joe sailor on the ground with her fists.

"There is no way you Misfits already got new recruits, at least not ones who were in the right mind!" Jean shot accusingly.

"And just what do you mean by that, Red?" snarled Althea, ready to punch the telekinetic's proverbial lights out.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did I use too big of words for you to even understand? What I meant was that you probably blackmailed Dragonfly and Whitelighter into joining your little sorry troop because there's no way on God's green Earth that their parents would have opted you nutcases over the X-Men!"

"Keep shooting that big mouth of yours, and you're going to have a matching big dent in your head!" Wavedancer snapped, waving a fist to Jean's face which immediately sent off another furious bickering match.

"Do you guys really want to get into something like this?" Dragonfly asked worriedly Razor, Whitelighter, and Iceman from the sidelines. They were the only ones who were not taking part in the heated verbal assault. Jake raised an eyebrow, deadpanned.

"I'll pass, young kitten. I already get enough of that from the adamantium-clawed badger back at home," he quipped dryly. The insect-girl smiled at the joke.

"Call me Lina," she said as she offered a hand to the older kat, "My name is Lina, and I don't think there's a need to be so formal to each other."

_So her name's **Lina**_, Bobby thought to himself, interested.

It was like that for several minutes until General Hawk's voice rang out forcefully, nearly roaring.

"**ATTEEENNNNN-TION!**" barked the G.I. Joe general, and surprisingly, all the mutant teenagers from both the Misfits and the X-Men ceased their arguing as they all turned to the source of the voice in the background, either for full respect of the drill command or because the shout had startled them. Even the adults had ceased their arguing, and Storm released her hold around Shipwreck's neck, abandoning her attempt to strangle the annoying sailor. Not too far off was a slightly exasperated General Hawk and alongside him was the Joe pilot Wild Bill and two strangers wearing long, brown trench coats, a short-haired blond woman and a white-haired, worn-out man. Both of the newcomers were looking at the mutant and army troop with a mixture of amusement and discomfort.

"**That's enough! Misfits, Joes, AND X-Men, _stand down_!**" There was a respectful silence, and not even Pietro tried to tempt fate.

General Hawk then turned to Professor Xavier with a bit of concern as he said, "Is anyone from your team hurt? We can get immediate medical attention if you need it."

Professor X was a bit taken aback by the offer, but then he nodded gratefully. He should have known that even in times of discord, General Hawk knew what was more important than petty team rivalry and squabbling. On cue, a panting and struggling Rogue managed to appear in view while trying her best to support a still-armored Colossus who was leaning weakly and heavily against his teammates with an energy-scimitar growing out of mid-section, giving off a short, crackling burst of yellow energy every once in a while and causing Piotr to be in extreme and caustic pain as his entire lower body was matted with red, dried blood, staining his metal skin. Colossus was truly in a bad fix and steadily declining.

Rogue cried out as the Joes, X-Men, and Misfits rushed over, "Professor, Peter's hurt! And he's gonna get worse if we can't help him! We gotta get help, quick!"

"Isn't Lifeline with you?" Sam asked the Misfits and Joes worriedly. Xi shook his head, disconcerted.

"We didn't bring him with us when we went to go try to track down Live Wire! And I'm pretty sure he went to do a re-con mission with Tunnel Rat, Alpine, and Quick Kick over at India to check on the tsunami victims! We can't get him in time!" he confessed helplessly.

"Can't you pull it out, Rogue? Why did you leave it in Tin-Grin? He's getting worse because the thing's still in him!" Lance asked, truly and sincerely worried about Piotr. True, he wasn't fond of his rival, but he truly didn't want to see him die. Rogue shook her head, troubled.

"I tried, but I can't break it! The stuff the spear's made out of is just as hard as Logan's adamantium, and if I try to yank the stupid thing out, it'll cause Peter even more pain! I don't want to rip out a chunk of his chest along with the dumb thing! The stupid javelin's wielded to his metal armor! It's stuck! And because it's stuck, Colossus can't morph back to his human form! And if we don't hurry, he's gonna lose even more blood!"

"It's an energy scimitar, Rogue," murmured Blind Master as Piotr sat weakly on the grass, his face green even despite the shiny alloy covering his visage, "I can sense it. The energy being released from the head of the weapon is what caused it to embedded itself so thoroughly into Peter. The energy must have melted through his steel armor so that it would be practically impossible to extract without killing him."

"Peter, hold on!" Shadowcat said, her hands shaking, as she grasped the handle of the scimitar and phased it out of his body. It worked, but now his wound started to bleed even harder.

"Let me," Justin said automatically as he knelt down next to Kitty and gently laid a glowing hand on Piotr's left side, allowing the soothing light to wash over Colossus' senses before the sunlight healed the metal-skinned mutant in a matter of seconds. Piotr blinked as Justin shyly removed his hand from Piotr's body. It was good as new, and there wasn't even the faintest hint of a scar where the scimitar once was previously stabbed through. Even the gouged indentation within his steel shell was made whole again. Kitty was sobbing with relief and joy.

"Oh Peter!" she cried as she hugged the Russian X-Man around the neck. She was so sure that he was going to die, and she wouldn't have been able to bear it if she lost him. She was now bawling as Piotr sighed, relived, as he hugged Kitty back.

Justin was staring at the now-disappeared wound in Piotr's side before turning to Blind Master and asked, "Whoa…how did I…how did _that_ happen! I thought I was just going to heal Colossus' flesh wound, but I didn't think it…it'd…it'd fix up his metal armor!"

The Professor raised his eyes a bit at Justin's exclamation as Blind Master said, "I suppose it is because the steel armor from Peter's mutant powers are part of his cellular structure, and thus, is really _organic_ steel, a metal that is not like other compounds you're used to. And since your healing powers can help heal any flesh wound or injury, it must also work on Peter's steel skin since it is a part of his flesh and blood."

"It _is_ the best explanation so far, but seriously Whitelighter, your healing powers seem to be growing more than up to par," murmured Roadblock as he examined Piotr's side thoroughly, only to find it satisfactorily safe and that the young mutant was no longer in any immediate danger. All the X-Men and even the Joes and some of the Misfits were looking glad.

"Xavier, is there anyone else who was injured heavily?" Hawk asked.

Professor X shook his head as he said, "No, General Hawk. Except for Colossus and Razor, not even the New Mutants have been heavily injured. A few bruises and cuts and burns, yes, but nothing that requires immediate and urgent medical attention."

"Which reminds me…" Storm broke in, seriously angered, as she and Wolverine glared at Boom-Boom, Magma, Sunspot, Cannonball, Lockheed, and Multiple, "What are you five doing out of the Mansion? If memory serves me correctly, you all were _supposed _to be back at the X-Mansion with Beast and Forge."

"Uh…heh-heh?" Sam smiled weakly as he and the other New Mutants cringed at the death glares Ororo and Logan were giving them. Logan made a furious reminder to do a Level 15 Danger room session with them for the next two weeks along with barricading their windows with barbed wire and sealing the troublesome kids in their respective rooms with brick-walls. Ray was snickering gleefully in the background.

"Roberto's in trouble, Roberto's in trouble…" he sang vindictively.

"Oh shut up!" Sunspot snapped, wishing he could risk a sun-spot beam of energy directly into Bezerker's mouth, but he didn't want to add more reason for the Professor and the adults to ground him. Razor looked torn between exasperated and worried, but upon seeing how the kids were about to get punished anyway, the kat then spoke gently with padded discipline.

"Look, all of you, I know you all have been trained to fight against thugs worse than these H.A.T.E. guys, but you all could have been seriously injured or killed, and you don't know how much that would have pained us to see that. We are glad that nothing happened and that you hearts were in the right place, but please understand, we don't want to see what happened to Chance happens to you kittens as well. Don't mind, Logan, we're all just glad nothing fatal occurred."

"Don't lessen it, hairball!" snapped Wolverine, now angrily turning on Razor, "These kids did wrong and they know it! As such, they get put on probation and punishment, and we certainly don't need someone like you to try and encourage this kind of half-assed behavior!"

"I'm just trying to soften the blow, Logan! And the kids aren't going to feel much better with you holding the threat of certain death over their heads!" snarled Jake, now baring his fangs and instantly defending the New Mutants, his eyes slit dangerously. It was slightly humorous to see a kat shorter than Wolverine try to put the senior X-Man in his place as they both glared daggers at each other angrily.

"Um…the cat guy** is** one of your X-Men, right, Xavier?" Quicksilver asked, a little befuddled.

"As much as Logan says otherwise, yes, Pietro," sighed Xavier tiredly, rubbing his temples. Meanwhile, as Kitty composed herself and controlled her hysteria, she and Piotr then noticed Lance staring forlornly at the sidelines, half-smiling like a damn idiot and hoping that she would also be glad to see him too. Granted, he was a little jealous of Colossus, but Lance was extremely and truthfully glad that Justin was able to get to him on time. His gaze met Kitty's blank face and wide, blue eyes, and for a brief instant, Lance felt his spirit leap as he expected Kitty to smile and say that she was glad he was safe too, maybe even give him a hug. After all, wasn't she as relieved to see him out of harm's way as he was of her? He would have been out of his mind with anxiety if Shadowcat was the one who had been injured by H.A.T.E.

The crowd then grew morbidly silent as they watched the unavoidable, immanent disaster.

Lance then started to get a little uncomfortable. C'mon, Kitty, just one hug, one exclamation of joy, one gesture to show that he was still important and treasured in her life, that she didn't care about his past or what had been revealed months ago, that she loved him despite it all.

Kitty just stared at him.

Just one thing to show that he was on the same level as Piotr.

Kitty then looked down at the ground so that Lance couldn't see the tears welling in her eyes, but she made no other move to greet Avalanche.

Just one small act of something special, something affectionate.

Kitty bit her lip.

Anything to display that she still cared.

Kitty's pony-tail fluttered limply in the wind, her body still.

_Anything._

Kitty then looked at Lance with apologetic…pity.

Anything except **that**.

"I…Lance…it…"

Kitty forced herself to speak what her heart was telling her, despite the tears that were threatening to leak from her eyes as she confessed finally, "It…it just happened. I'm…I'm so sorry, Lance. I made my choice."

It took several seconds after that before it came to Lance as her words registered and burned into his brain like the most searing, red-hot metal brand dipped in acid. He felt his heart plummet to his feet before crashing into a million pieces. He grew so numb and stiff, he could have had an exact replica carved out of ice, and the statue would have had more warmth than what Lance would have been feeling right there and then. The Misfits and some of the X-Men inhaled sharply, pained. Cover Girl looked as if she was ready to cry. Bobby then felt incredibly low, the guilt multiplying on his shoulders ten-fold, reminding him that he was the one who was directly responsible for the two parting in the first place. Though Scott was relieved, thinking that Kitty had certainly made the correct and better choice…he had to admit he felt pained for Lance; it was a hard blow for anyone to take. Althea noticed a triumphant Jean mouthing "thank you" while rolling her eyes to the sky, and Wavedancer nearly had to force herself to not pound Jean into the ground right there and then, her body twitching.

The triangle had finally collapsed…and two may had been spared, but one was demolished.

Jean and Piotr grew tense, expecting Lance to cry out with rage, to mindlessly invoke his tremors and rage and rant and complain. They expected something violent, something that was typical of a petty hoodlum. To their surprise, Lance did none of these.

Lance simply looked…crushed.

"I'm so sorry, Lance. I didn't want you to get hurt this way," Kitty emphasized, her voice nearly whimpering and breaking down. Lance just looked at her hollowly, like he was devoid of any emotion in his soul, as if he was a lifeless wanderer.

"You'll get it over it," Lance muttered hoarsely, sadly, as he turned around and stiffly walked away.

"Lance, wait!" Wanda called out, trying to console him into halting, but the geokinetic just gave her the cold shoulder and ignored his teammate as he continued walking away, away from the X-Men, the Misfits, and the Joes. All three of the groups along with Maggie, Hawk, and Commissioner Gordon just silently watched him as he disappeared in the distance and amid the various, flaming wreckages and desecrated rubble. Both Toad and Quicksilver threw Bobby deepest looks of the harshest blame and loathing before they took off worriedly.

"We'll watch out for him, yo," Toad said, but one could notice the last few words were viciously formed in a snarl at most of the X-Men as he hopped away after the fast, sliver blur of Pietro dashing off tailing Lance. Most of the crowd was extremely pained at what just occurred.

"Lance," whispered Wanda as she feebly held a hand to her chest, for once, her face displaying feelings of the utmost sympathy and sorrow, a completely new façade to her usual stony, mask of irritation or rage. She sniffed to herself. Justin clasped his hands in front of him worriedly while biting his lip as Lina was unconsciously rubbing her tanned arms together in awkward nervousness. Xi was stony; he truly did not know what to say or do in a situation like this. Althea summoned every bit of her steel nerve to not cry as she stared down at the ground, a hot ball of helpless sadness growing in her throat as she felt her eyes prinking from welling tears and clenched her gloved hands tightly into fists. If it wasn't for General Hawk being here, she would have beaten Iceman within an inch of his life. And the female Misfit leader was not the only one with those sentiments. Daria, Quinn, and Brittany were already promising certain death in their devious, quick minds as they bared their respective teeth and growled at Bobby and Kitty, their hands twitching ever so slightly and dangerously. Fred looked ready to rip someone apart with his bare hands. And surprisingly, some of the X-Men were also having very low thoughts of Iceman.

"Well I hope **_you're_** happy, Ice-Cube!" snapped Tabitha reproachfully, angry tears running down her face. Amara just numbly held a hand over her mouth in shock. Rogue actually mirrored the look of sadness on Wanda's face as she lightly held on to Gambit's hand that was soothingly clamped on her shoulder. The Southern belle's grim face just glanced down at her feet, downcast. Kurt looked like he wanted to go with Toad and Quicksilver but then decided against it; he wouldn't have been welcomed there anyway and Lance wouldn't have appreciated the gesture of pity…especially from an X-Man. Jamie was glaring at Bobby with absolute hate and wondering if he could manage to get away with shooting Iceman with his glovatrix. Bobby shivered under all their withering gazes. Then Spirit started walking in the path Lance took.

"Spirit?" Low Light asked softly.

"I have to go and be there my son. He needs me right now," the Native American G.I. Joe said softly, and knowing that was more important, General Hawk gave a single nod. Yet before he left, Spirit glared piercingly at Bobby and then…at Kitty.

"As much as I respect your decision, Shadowcat," he said, his voice a bit clipped, "you could have let down Lance a bit more gently than that."

Storm's voice was cold as she addressed the Joe soldier, "I daresay you hardly have any right to tell Kitty about making the wrong choices. It's her decision, _not_ yours, Spirit."

"Don't put words in my mouth, Ms. Monroe," Spirit said, his voice, if possible, even colder than Storm's as he clarified, "I **never** said she made the wrong choice. I **_said_** I wished she was more understanding of Lance's feelings when she told him how she felt about Peter. I highly doubt even you could argue against **that** request for consideration."

Storm's nostrils turned white with anger at being rebuked, but Razor placed a restraining paw on her shoulder as Spirit then abruptly left. Kitty then started sobbing uncontrollably as Piotr then got up from the ground and drew her close to his chest, rubbing her back soothingly and gently.

"Shhhhh…" he whispered tenderly, "You made the right choice, Kitty. I'm proud of you."

Kitty didn't answer as she clung to Piotr, the image of Lance's broken and devastated look in his eyes and face haunting her mind and heart.

There was an uncomfortable silence until Logan coughed, hoping to change the subject.

"And who exactly are your friends, Hawk?" Logan said gruffly.

"Not one for pleasantries, are you?" Maggie Sawyer quipped sardonically as she continued, "I'm Chief Maggie Sawyer, leading officer of the Special Crimes Unit in Metropolis and my friend is Commissioner James Gordon of Gotham City."

"Chief Sawyer!" gasped Scarlet Witch in surprise, remembering the name from the news broadcast about the recent alliance with H.A.T.E and the Friends of Humanity.

"Commissioner Gordon? The guy who's friends with Batman!" Sunspot piped up eagerly as he and Multiple had glassy, awed, and amazed looks on their faces. It wasn't much of surprise, considering that every one of the X-Men knew that Roberto and Jamie were **very** big fans of the Dark Knight of Gotham and would spend countless hours arguing with Sam, Ray, Amara, and Forge that Batman was many times better than Superman in all levels (which also resulted in many unforgettable incidents of damage to the Mansion). Gordon chuckled despite himself.

"I see _that_ supposedly well-kept secret is well known, even in vigilante mutant teams," he smiled.

"Actually, it wasn't hard to figure out," piped up Jamie, "It was easy to guess that the two of you were close, considering that Batman supported you when you were framed by Two-Face a long time ago and how even though many charges were made against the Bat-team for crimes of vigilantism by the D.A., you always seemed to make sure that those allegations never made it to see the light of day. It just seemed obvious that you supported Batman since you never really spoke against him and that he made your jobs a lot easier."

The Commissioner clarified a bit, "Keep in mind…Multiple, I believe your name is? I never said anything of the sort to say I favored Batman. I admit, we call on him when there's trouble we can't handle and the Batman is easy enough around Gotham's police forces to know we won't haul him to jail at the first chance we get, but there's no public statement on record stating that I believed Batman is above the law or that we both have a more-than-professional acquaintanceship."

Roberto then smiled as he pointed out, "We know…but it's what you **didn't** say that convinced us. Not condemning or declaring Batman and the Bat-team as dangerous vigilantes and law-breakers is a slightly indirect and discreet way of supporting them. And if you two weren't close to begin with, then Batman wouldn't even have entrusted you to call on him with the Bat-signal in the first place."

Gordon's smile became even wider as he raised an eyebrow, impressed. Despite being teenagers, these kids were incredibly sharp.

Cyclops was slightly wary, his expression guarded as he asked, "So you're not against mutants on the same note?"

Maggie said, "Kid, despite what the media likes to hype up, Gordon and I can think for ourselves, thank you very much. And after dealing with **real** dangers like the Joker, Intergang, and the aliens from Apokolips, dealing with mutants isn't a bad thing. In fact, Gordon and I agree with Hawk that you kids may be one of the best things for the planet and that groups such as H.A.T.E. and the Friends of Humanity don't have the world's best interests on their agendas."

Jean smiled with ease and touched appreciation before she got a reading of their thought patterns, and her face fell a bit in sympathy as she asked, "I take it not a lot of people agree with you on that sentiment, especially since Tonka and Creed's recent alliance and establishment of their headquarters in both Gotham and Metropolis?"

Maggie's face showed a grim smile as she repeated, "Like I said, Ms. Grey, we can think for ourselves."

"Even though Commissioner Gordon in on the verge of being unfairly suspended from his position at Gotham City by the Gotham City Council?" Jean asked quietly.

"What?" Now it Hawk's turn to be grim as he looked at Maggie and Gordon. This was news to him. Maggie seemed a bit irritated as she gave Jean as dry look for involuntarily being a blabbermouth.

"You know, it's generally polite to not read people's minds and blurt out personal problems like that."

"I'm sorry," Jean sincerely apologized, horrified at what she had just done, "I…I didn't mean to! It was an accident! I just…still have some problems controlling my telepathy."

Maggie sighed before saying, "Understandable, considering how you had a power surge with your mutation back at Bayville High School several years ago."

"You know about that! _Das gibt's nicht!_" Kurt blurted out, taken aback.

Commissioner Gordon nodded as he explained, "Since we have close ties to the Justice League, Nick Fury from S.H.I.E.L.D. decided that it could prove beneficial if both Maggie and I had been briefed on some of the additional crises revolving around the world, and some of the files that were given to us was based on accurate data gathered about Charles Xavier and the X-Men with their special abilities along with the Hellfire Club and Magneto and his Acolytes. And it took some convincing considering that we've known General Hawk personally for quite a while, and he needed to pull some strings with us to ensure that we could use the briefings to help inform the Justice League of any mutant-related problems such as Magneto and the Hellions should they become a world-threat."

"Really? Doesn't take much of a genius to know how these bubs could use that kind of info for the wrong reasons." Now Wolverine's voice was cold, almost snarling, as he glared at the two cops with suspicion. Undaunted and now annoyed, Maggie just fearlessly glared back.

"As unbelievable as it sounds, Wolverine, not all cops are against you, and if Hawk and Nick Fury can entrust that information regarding you and the X-Men along with the Misfits, then I think there's a good reason on why Gordon and I were allowed to do so. And before you get on your damn high-horse and say how we're on different sides and such and how the X-Men can handle problems the law cannot, let me remind you Gordon and I have worked alongside Batman and Superman and the Justice League, heroes that definitely trump your agendas as the X-Men. While you fight for mutant-human peace, the League fights for the peace of the **whole galaxy** for **all** races, both Earthling and extraterrestrial. Not to sound vain or outlandish, but there are things and freedom-fighting groups that are certainly more reliable and impressive than the X-Men or the Misfits. The Misfits and Joes have no problem admitting that, so there's no way in hell you shouldn't either! Get this into your thick skull, Wolverine, that just because the X-Men are doing something incredibly noble and for the good of the world doesn't mean that you're all gods on pedestals!"

General Hawk then turned to Logan and the Professor before Logan could explode with his temper and said, "Xavier, I know you may have some reservations about entrusting outside people, and representatives of the law for that matter, but you can take my word for it. Maggie Sawyer and Commissioner Gordon are good people, and it's fortunate enough to have them on your side instead of the general public anti-mutant consensus. Especially since the Justice League is worried enough about all three of our groups."

"Really?" Althea asked, touched, surprised, worried, and actually a bit humbled to tell the truth.

"Wow, can you believe it? They like us! They really like us! We're actually important to the Justice League!" Fred marveled to Lina excitedly as there was general, excited whispering and chit-chatter all around. Some, however, like the Professor, Logan, Low Light and Cyclops were a bit dubious and disbelieving.

"So, who're the new guys?" Tabitha asked, pointing to Whitelighter and Dragonfly, "We kinda already know who your code names and stuff, but we don't know much about them."

Some of the Misfits seemed incredibly reluctant to speak by this request, but Shipwreck shrugged it off as he stepped forward and explained, "These are our two newest recruits for the Misfits, Whitelighter and Dragonfly. But their real names are Justin Moore and Lina Chakram. They joined the Misfit team shortly after the…after we kinda took a break from each other. And while we're on the subject, who's the cat-guy? We've never seen him before either."

"This is Razor," Rogue said as she jerked a thumb to the kat-being in question, "He joined us not too long ago, and he's our newest teacher for the New Mutants along with helping the Professor keep the mansion intact."

"Nice to met you all finally," Razor smiled warmly, "And the name's Jake. Jake Clawson. It's only fair since you've told us your names."

"_Clawson?_" Low Light frowned, thinking it was a bad pun.

"Jake Clawson? That sounds…familiar," murmured Fred as he tried to remember where he had heard that name before. Razor then spotted the G.I. Joe jet in the distance before turning to Wild Bill with a huge grin.

"Nice turbo-jet. I'm guessing from the outer-appearance…a modified Skyhawk with turbofan engines?"

Wild Bill's face beamed, appreciative that someone else was as much as into aircrafts as he was. He said, "Yeah, you bet! Worked on that baby for the past several months! Glad you noticed the effort, Razor!"

Meanwhile, Dragonfly was treating a serious burn on Ray's left forearm by spitting a wad of her silk on the X-Man's exposed skin, and to Ray's pleasant surprise, the burn was slowly lessening in pain and the pad felt cool and a bit soothing.

"Wow…uh…thanks, Lina," Ray said appreciatively as he blushed slightly, though one could tell that the teen was starting to like Dragonfly.

"So, you're a medic for the Misfits, Lina?" Sam asked a bit stupidly.

"I hope so, but Lifeline and Bree said it'll take a while and a lot of training to be fully qualified," Lina said amiably enough.

"So…do you like being a Misfit?" Ray asked hesitantly, and though the question was innocent enough, Lina was a little wary of the morbid interest in Ray's blue eyes when he asked that. Thankfully, she heardGambit yelping in pain in the background and dove for the interruption.

"Excuse me, I have to tend tosomeone beforeWanda and Trinity send him to the intensive care unit," she smoothly sidestepped the discussion as she made her way briskly through the group of New Mutants to help out. Ray, Roberto and Sam just gave her thoughtful looks at her back.

Meanwhile, the grown-ups were discussing the matter about Live Wire and H.A.T.E.

"But why would H.A.T.E. and Live Wire attack us?" Low Light asked, confused, "I mean, we're not aliens and even the Friends of Humanity have known better not to mess with either of us like this! And after dealing with those cretins, judging by all the weapons they had immediately on hand, they were ready for us, no question about it!"

Shipwreck added, extremely worried, "And those landlubbing assholes were low, even for them! They waited until we were in plain view before they tried to ambush all of us, and they had absolutely no remorse or second thoughts about using it on these kids!"

"My God," Maggie murmured, her face going pale.

"Cowardly bastards!" growled Gordon. Law or no law, Gordon himself would have gladly given up his position if he could take out Creed and Tonka personally. Trying to ruin someone politically or socially and attacking trained soldiers is one thing…but to try to kill children was a whole new low altogether.

"Which is why I am hesitant to bring people of the law into this matter," Xavier clarified, rubbing the bridge of his nose tiredly, "Please forgive if I say I am hesitant to trust your word that you care about human-mutant relations and that you wish to help us as well, but considering the dangers arising, I cannot take many chances. Even though the Justice League is a noble and virtuous group, there are those in the government that closely work with them that would not think twice to try and manipulate my charges or attack us in any way possible."

"What about Live Wire?" Maggie asked.

"She got away," Cover Girl explained, "We almost had that witch, but then some strange woman popped up and blasted us back before taking off through some portal and disappeared with Live Wire in thin air!"

"It must have been a boom-tube, a portal that leads the alien races of Apokolips back to their home planet," exhaled Hawk wearily, "but to tell you the truth, I'm now even more worried about H.A.T.E., especially with this jack-assed stunt they tried to pull. Xavier, I hate to make things worse for you, but I think H.A.T.E will try again, and with an arsenal like this, your X-Men might not be so lucky next time."

"I know," Storm said wearily, "H.A.T.E. is certainly starting to show that it is a far more formidable and unpredictable threat than Creed and Reverend Stryker are. By the Goddess, these weapons are almost impossible to even comprehend!"

"And what troubles me is that not even the military or similar organizations like S.H.I.E.L.D. have weaponry _this_ advanced," Blind Master commented as he gingerly turned the energy-machete in his hands, feeling the pressurized forces surrounding the plasma-blade pushing against his hand.

"That's odd," murmured Maggie as she frowned at the two energy scimitars in Cover Girl and Blind Master's hands, scrutinizing them with her eyes.

"What's wrong, Maggie?" Gordon asked.

"I can't put my finger on it…but there's something about these weapons from H.A.T.E. that seems strange. I don't know why, but I could have sworn I'd seen them before…"

"Can't we arrest them?" Xi asked, popping in the conversation, "I mean, H.A.T.E. attacked us and tried to hinder an army investigation! Surely we can arrest them on those charges?"

"I don't like to tell you this, Xi," Roadblock answered, "but considering it'll be our word against theirs, those accusations aren't going far and high. With H.A.T.E. having so much support and standing, their lawyers will use anything in their books to make it a soft landing. They'll just get a slap on the wrist at most, while H.A.T.E. and the FOH get to strut off and boast."

"Which is why I'll send a convoy of G.I. Joe to stand guard at the X-Mansion until we can do something to stop H.A.T.E. permanently. Until then, you better keep your students indoors and increase the defenses around your home, all right? We both want the kids to stay safe, especially since Apokolips and Darkseid's involved in this. I'll brief you and the other adults later tonight with more of the information along with Gordon and Maggie. Just go back before the Bayville and Gotham and SCD until get here; we'll try to explain why you were here and make sure they understand the truth."

The Professor nodded in agreement.

"Misfits, let's go," Wavedancer commanded stonily and with that, the army mutants stiffly left the X-Men wordlessly, still sore emotionally. Well, most of them.

Justin was still looking at Jake, almost staring really, and quite rudely too. Jake narrowed his eyes a bit in confusion as he gave the Misfit a very puzzled frown, not even sure why Justin was behaving so oddly. Upon seeing the frown, Justin blushed and mumbled a soft apology before averting his gaze. Xi was one of the last ones to leave until he noticed that Justin was still lingering.

"Whitelighter, you coming?" Xi asked from the distance. The sentence brought the chubby boy back to reality as he snapped back to consciousness.

"Um…" Justin blushed as he gave a small bow to all of the X-Men before smiling sincerely, "Glad to meet all of you finally. Take care."

And with that, Justin took off to join his friends and G.I. Joe. Professor Xavier slightly raised his eyebrows in attraction as he brought his fingers together in front of him and continued to rest his gaze on Dragonfly and Whitelighter.

"Interesting," he said finally.

Bobby wasn't even listening. He kept staring at Dragonfly who was walking away side by side with Fred and Wanda, the sun radiating softly over her brown shoulders and white bobbed hair like a halo of radiance while giving her wings an utmost sheen of sparkling crystal. Lina, then sensing that she was being watched, turned her head slightly to see that her eyes met Bobby's, and politely, she gave a small smile and waved a bit with her hand.

Lina. Angelina Chakram. Angelina 'Dragonfly' Chakram.

Angelina **Drake**. **_Lina _Drake**. It _did_ have a nice ring to it.

"She's beautiful…" whispered Bobby to himself.

000-

"Lord Darkseid," the loyal yet grotesquely deformed figure of Desaad intoned in a monotone, lifeless voice as he bowed to his master, "We have gathered the necessary information from the battle of the X-Men and Misfits with H.A.T.E. on Earth, and we have discovered the ones with the most potential for your plans. We are awaiting further instructions, my Lord."

"Are you sure these mutants you speak of have been concluded to contain the capabilities of what I need for this force of the cosmos, Desaad? I do not need to remind you what shall befall upon your pitiful body if you are not exceedingly sure about these mutants."

"I am sure, my Lord. I dare not disappointment my liege and mentor, oh blessed One of Apokolips. I shall bet my life on it!"

"Then be it so, worm," Darkseid said coldly before coming to his absolute decision, "then tell Big Barda and Granny to lead the other Female Furies along with our two newest acquisitions and begin to Phase Three: _Recruit_. When the time is right, strike both the X-Men and Misfits and bring back the chosen ones here to my realm. Do not leave the third dimension of the planet Earth until each and every one of the six mutants is securely captured and do not linger. Execute the phase as swiftly and cleanly as possible, and tell my servant to destroy any evidence of our involvement with the mutants and G.I. Joe on Earth; we do not wish for those fools from the Justice League to be made aware of our plans. Do not bother trying to kill them all. Wipe out any who becomes a threat, but I want those six alive and well for the fourth phase. Do I make myself clear, Dessad?"

"So be it, your Excellency. Your will be done," and with that, Dessad left the royal chambers of the throne room, leaving the alien leader to continue to plot and plan, lost in his morbid and pleased thoughts of power and conquest and the very control over the living will of all life itself. Darkseid smiled maniacally to himself as he gazed within the shining, ruby surface of the enormous icosahedron crystal in front on him, the red hues and beams playing across his face, grotesquely marring it into the look of an insane, Satan-incarnate, his eyes glowing with the damning powers of the Omega Effect.

"Soon …so very soon," Darkseid chuckled.

000-

"I can't believe you talked me into this," groaned Batgirl to herself as she rode on the shoulders and back of the blonde-haired, rosy-cheeked Supergirl. Kara In-Ze flew the both of them high in the skies, the cold night air tearing at their capes and respective tresses in the clear, starry, sky.

"Hey, we already decided that flying would be the best and fastest way there. If I tried flying there with my super-speed, I'd doubt you'd be able to withstand all the Gs it'll put on your body. Besides, I didn't hear you putting up much of an argument," Supergirl shot back in a smug-tone.

"I was too anxious thinking about what sort of trouble and chaos Live Wire would cause to even think much about arguing over transportation method, but at times like these, I wish we had a teleporter like Robin's friend, Raven," Batgirl sighed. Barbara Gordon was already in her trademark black and yellow uniform complete with cowl while Kara was in her red, white, and blue apparel, and as soon as the coast was clear, both Barbara and Kara made their way to Bayville as quickly as they could. At first, Barbara wanted to take a bus or an airplane to the town where the X-Men resided, but Kara shot that possibility down, saying it would be easy for the wrong people to trace their footsteps, not to mention that it would raise some questions on why Barbara, not even an official detective of Gotham City, would be arriving at a scene where Live Wire and the X-Men were converging at. Despite being the Commissioner's daughter, she would have no authority or jurisdiction there, and as such, it was far better and easier if Batgirl and Supergirl arrived at the New York municipality incognito.

"Just sit back, relax, and enjoy your flight on the _Supergirl Express_ and be sure to leave all trays in the upright position. A meal of cold air and whatever bugs that'll be splattered against your teeth while flying at speeds in the hundreds will be served shortly," Supergirl threw out with good humor, but Batgirl could tell that the alien was nervous.

"Har har, funny," the masked vigilante said dryly before adding, "God, I wish I wasn't doing this, that we weren't going to fight Live Wire and the Female Furies alone if they're in Bayville."

"And there's still no response from the Watchtower?" Supergirl asked, troubled.

"None, and wherever they are, they're still missing. The last I checked, Batman and the others were trying to ask those two Bang-Babies named Static and Gear to try out for part-time membership, but ever since then, I can't reach them. I guess they must be really busy if they haven't kept a direct link to the Watchtower's communications. This certainly isn't the first time this happened."

"Gee, and to think that they didn't even consider even asking us to join the League first before they turn to a pair of unknown teenagers to offer membership. How typical of my cousin," Supergirl growled darkly. Batgirl was silent, but she understood Kara' frustration. Superman and Batman had openly and staunchly denied the two girls membership to the Justice League, saying that they were both still in need of dire training and maturity, things that were essential if Batgirl and Supergirl wanted to bear the whole weight of the world on their shoulders. And frankly, they weren't ready for it. Batgirl just silently respected their decision, although on the inside, she was a bit irritated at her mentor's point of view. Even after they had dealt against Joker, Two-Face, Poison Ivy, Mr. Freeze, and hell, even Live Wire from a past excursion and not to mention her expert cyber-hacking and computer skills that could put the knowledge of all the members in the League to shame, Batman still didn't trust her enough. And it stung a bit. Supergirl was less gracious. For over two months, she raged, argued, threw screaming fits, pleaded, even managed to get Jonathan and Martha Kent, Superman's adoptive parents, to side with her, but in the end, Superman stood firm. And even after that, Kara wouldn't even speak to her cousin for over three weeks before she gave up, seeing how her "punishment" wasn't really affecting Superman enough to change his mind.

"Maybe it's a good thing that they're so preoccupied then, especially if since they're not available, they can't really object to us if we did the right thing and just ran the investigation by ourselves in place of their absence," Batgirl smiled to herself.

Kara then looked at her friend over her shoulder with a very mischievous and naughty grin before saying, "And what they don't know won't hurt them, of course."

"Of course," Batgirl giggled before continuing in a serious tone, "But let's just hope that the X-Men, the Misfits, and G.I. Joe won't be too unwelcoming and hostile when we arrive to help them out with Live Wire and Darkseid's minions."

"From what I've heard when the Justice League have kept tabs on all the mutant affiliations here on Earth, the X-Men, G.I. Joe and the Misfits have experienced their shares of abnormal stuff, so I'd doubt we're the strangest thing for them to deal with. And besides, they're mutants! They couldn't possibly object to us being there to give them a hand with this whole thing. Maybe we'll be just what they need to help them deal with Apokolips," Supergirl suggested.

"I just it was just more than the two of us. Couldn't you contact Jason Blood or perhaps Aquaman to see if they could help us out?"

Kara exhaled wearily as she shook her head, explaining, "I tried already. Mr. Blood is on a mission in some sort of weird dimensional plane with Dr. Strange and his apprentice along with Doctor Fate and some good demon named Hellboy to investigate some sort of disturbance in the mystical-continuum. They won't be back for a while from what I've been told because this baddie is supposed to be a doozy. Some immortal sorcerer named Rasputin or some other. And Aquaman refused to help out because he doesn't want to get involved. Trust me, you don't want me to repeat the exact words he used of what he thought about helping out with topsider problems. What about you? Nightwing and Robin could be a great help."

"Nightwing went to establish himself in another city and we've lost contact with him for a while. In other words, we don't contact him; **he'll** contact **us**. And Robin is with the Teen Titans over at Jump City, and they're investigating a strange occurrence with Brother Blood's sudden disappearance from maximum security along with the Titans East. So, we're on our own pretty much and if anything, the Misfits and the X-Men will have to take what they can get."

"Hey, an army of two heroes is better than nothing, you know."

"I hope you're right," Batgirl replied, "But who know what Darkseid and his Female Furies are even planning? Unlike a lot of the nuts we've chased after before, Darkseid isn't nuts and he isn't foolhardy…which makes him even more dangerous, the fact that he is guaranteed to succeed in his plans and that he's meticulous and cunning enough to make sure that it gives him and Apokolips a good boost. That means whatever he's planning is something big, something that could possibly be too big for any of us, even for the Justice League, to handle."

"I'm sure we'll find out soon enough," Supergirl stated, leaving it at that. She really didn't want to divulge into this dreary subject any longer.

Yet the important question on their minds was that would they even be standing when they did.

**Author's notes: Before you kill me, let me say I'M A LANCITTY FAN! I'M A LANCITTY FAN! Don't kill me! Besides, if you kill me, you won't be able to see this fanfic finished! I'll be dead so I won't write future stories!**

**Readers: Nuts...**

**Bobby (sarcastic): Gee, that's such a shame…**

**Besides, if you're going to kill anyone, kill BOBBY! HE'S the one who broke up Lance and Kitty in "Tremors of the Past"! Kill HIM! HE'S responsible!**

**Bobby: HUH?**

**Red Witch: Hey, he's right!**

**Readers: GET HIM!**

**(Bobby runs out screaming while reviewers chase him down with clubs, flamethrowers, and sharp/pointy objects)**

**Anyway, hope you enjoyed the drama! Check back next Friday for the chapter titled "Thorny Olive Branches" where we take a break from the action and get a chance for Razor to meet the Misfits more personally while Lina and Justin visit the X-Mansion, despite Xavier having "ulterior" motives. Until then, read and review! Constructive criticism welcome! And on a final note: YAY! Kingdom Hearts 2 trailer is out and the Disney worlds in the game included Mulan and Jack Sparrow from "Pirates of the Carribean"! (Sorry, but I'm a KH fanatic)**


	5. Thorny Olive Branches

**CHAPTER 5: Thorny Olive Branches**

"Man, we always miss the good stuff!" groaned Forge once the Professor had finished, "Even the New Mutants get to see more action than we do!"

Remy sighed, "Trust Remy, _mon ami_, you were incredibly lucky to not have gone through such an ordeal. _Merde_, and I thought trying to go to Bayville High again during the mobs and protests was uncomfortable for Remy enough!"

"Are you referring to the battle with H.A.T.E. or the awkwardness at running into G.I. Joe and the Misfits?" Hank asked in a quiet, reasonable, yet solemn manner. The red-eyed Cajun needed a few moments to actually ponder that one.

"Both actually, Mr. McCoy," the young adult finally admitted.

Kitty was next to Piotr on the couch with a frozen look of misery and disbelief, her face white and her eyes glassy with shock. She still couldn't believe she just did that, that she just told Lance to his face that she wanted to be with Piotr instead, and as a result, she felt the pressure of guilt threatening to crush her back and shoulder, tightening her chest and nearly suffocating her. Jean then tried to cheer her teammate up by placing her arms around Kitty's shoulders before she said gently, "It's all right, Kitty. You're still just running a high gamut of emotions after seeing Peter injured like that and after working up the courage to tell Alvers the truth. Look, I know it may not feel like it now, but you made the right choice, and the sooner you understand that, the better. Besides, Peter's the better choice considering he's loyal, considerate, honorable, and an X-Man and teammate you could trust your life with."

"Jean, for God's sake, will you just shut up and back off?" snarled Rogue, hearing this and shooting the redhead a most poisonous look.

Jamie then growled before Jean could retort back, so totally uncommonly hostile it literally made some of the adults drop their mouths in shock, "Jean, we love you and all, but say one more bad thing to bash Lance with, and I swear to God I don't know what I'm gonna do to you, but it will be ugly! So leave Kitty alone and **_mind your own dumb beeswax_**!"

Jean's lower lip trembled a bit as she looked at the young, brown-haired adolescent before she limply dropped her hand to her side, her face shocked and humiliated. If it were Rogue or Tabitha or one of the Misfits, yes…but never Jamie. There was an uncomfortable silence as Jamie glowered at everyone in the room, daring anyone to speak up. Hank then coughed uneasily as Jake laid a cool paw on Jamie's shoulder.

"I must say, Charles, that these current events and plethora of news is quite…troubling to say the least. If it were Magneto, the Hellfire Club, Juggernaut or even the Friends of Humanity, it would be something we have been tirelessly dealing with for quite some time in a predictable and prepared manner. I would not say that it is simply water off a duck's back, but to now deal with possible aliens from the Fourth Dimension and who are led by a tyrant far worse than Magneto and who suddenly have a fascinated yet lethally morbid interest in us and our students is undoubtedly on a whole new level of danger."

"I still cannot believe it," Ororo murmured, trying to sip water from her glass despite her shaking hands.

"_Da_, talk about things taking a turn for the worst, Professor," Piotr commented wearily as he and the rest of the X-Men pondered on what they had been briefed on. All of them were back into their civilian clothing and met in the living room for the informative session between General Hawk, Maggie Sawyer, and Commissioner Gordon. At first, Xavier and most of the adults argued that only Scott, Jean, and Forge of the X-Men should be allowed to hear of this information, but all the New Mutants and the X-Men that were not mentioned raised a huge stink, nearly at an uproar at being left in the dark. The X-Men adolescents heatedly debated with their elders that at least knowing would prepare them against any force sent by the new dangers of Apokolips and that trying to shelter them from sensitive information would be not only condescending but hazardous to their safety as well. As they pointed out, if this concerned the X-Men, then all of the X-Men and not just the senior members should be made a part of whatever they could to defend each other. And if they weren't going to hear it directly, then they would certainly have no trouble getting what they needed to know from Jake or the Misfits or by eavesdropping, consequences be damned. It also didn't help that Hawk, Sawyer and Gordon agreed with the children and refused to follow through the briefing unless all of the X-Men were present in the room and that Jake and Hank both readily agreed against the Professor's initial judgment. Overwhelmed at all sides, Xavier finally conceded. For the past two hours, General Hawk, Maggie Sawyer, and Commissioner Gordon had told all of the X-Men and the New Mutants the crisis in precise detail. They learned about Apokolips, a strange alien world that resided in the Fourth dimension that was full of warmongers and ruthless bloodthirsty tyrants bred on the slavery and misery of other races, and how Live Wire was recently broken out of Stryker's Prison Island by a splinter group of these aliens called the Female Furies. Though not much was known about the Female Furies, Gordon and Maggie explained about how they used to back Granny Harkness, a depraved matron-figure that used to lead Intergang back at Metropolis and how Darkseid leads his faithful followers on a never-ending quest to seek the Anti-Life formula, and if Earth didn't have it, despite a tentative and unstable treaty formed by New Genesis and the High Father (one of the good guys), he would simply destroy and conquer it like he had done with countless planets before. Then Maggie gave a brief overview about the Justice League and how they were formed five years ago to combat such threats such as Darkseid and how it proved that there were good aliens who wished to live in this world in peace alongside other Earthlings and make a harmonious life for themselves.

However, what wasn't clear was why Darkseid was interested in them and the Misfits nor were they clear on why H.A.T.E. was even involved in the first place, but all three of the lawful humans were willing to bet everything they had on it. It was no coincidence that H.A.T.E. had ambushed both of the groups so quickly at the carnival just like how it was not unintentional that the alliance between H.A.T.E. and the Friends of Humanity had centered their operations in Gotham City and Metropolis. Unfortunately, there was no clear lead between all of these events, which made the dead ends all the more frustrating. Which was why a small battalion of G.I. Joe troopers led by Flint, Snake Eyes, and Quick Kick were on the X-Mansion grounds along with Mainframe, Bazooka, and Dial-Tone helping Hank, Forge, and Jake increase the perimeters and firepower of the mansion's defense mechanisms. After the session, Hawk, Maggie, and Commissioner Gordon promised to keep in touch before they left.

Now that they had been informed and prepared themselves as much as possible…all the X-Men could do now…was wait.

"You know, after today, I'm beginning to wish we were facing off Juggernaut or Mojo and his weird dimension again or even Magneto and his Acolytes," groaned Roberto, "**_ANYTHING_** has got to be better than being targeted by aliens who could give Superman a run for his money."

Ororo then remembered what Maggie and Gordon had told them and she added an additional worry, "And since the Justice League isn't available as of yet, we are all left to fight this threat on our own, and even with the help from the Joes and the Misfits, it may not be enough to stop some of these characters. Goddess, if they could so effectively kill most of the security at Stryker's Island, then there is no telling how soon they will be able to overpower us and reduce this mansion to rubble."

"And by doing so, they might kill us. They might kill all of us," murmured Amara, her face white as she pondered the macabre thought, invoking strong feelings of nausea within her.

"What I don't get is why these bubs would be targeting us, Chuck," Logan said, "We don't have any idea about this Anti-Life formula crap that Darkseid has been trying to locate, and I also doubt any of us had former ties to any of the members in the Justice League. Hell, even Hawk knows them better than we do, and yet for some reason, Live Wire has been sent here to get both us and the Misfits, just because we're mutants."

"I remember that," Scott said at Logan, "I overheard Live Wire say something about how you were one of them when she electrocuted you and tried to burn you into a crisp, whatever that meant. If it wasn't for your healing factor, you would have died."

"Mr. Logan, what do you think she meant by that? I mean, even though a lot of your past is shaky and blank, could it be possible you ran into these minions from Apokolips before?" Piotr asked.

"I'd doubt it," Logan said as he shook his head, "Working as a past agent for S.H.I.E.L.D? Possible. Being a subject as a scientific, human guinea-pig for some program called 'Weapon X'? Hell, yeah. But running into aliens and stuff? That's new to me and certainly not part of my style."

"It also wouldn't add up," Forge mused, rubbing his chin, "Sawyer and Gordon said Apokolips showed up to Earth for the very first time around eight or nine years ago, and the first occurrence when they attacked our planet was when they tried to storm Metropolis and reduce it to rubble. They even managed to get Superman to deflect to their side for a bit before it was later revealed that he was brainwashed, but other than that, there was never any evidence that Darkseid sent any of his henchmen to Earth in the first place. Since Wolverine's been around longer than that, it's too far out on a limb to say he's met them before."

"Rogue, what about when you managed to touch Live Wire when she arrived at the Mansion, unannounced?" Jean asked, "Did you get a clear reading on her thoughts or have a glimpse of what she was ordered by Darkseid to do?"

Rogue shook her head as she explained, "Nothin' that stands out, but what I do remember after touching that pompous goth-wannabe was one word that stuck in my mind…'**_phase_**'."

"_Phase_? You mean, like, my mutant powers and junk?" Kitty asked, her head jerking up.

"Nah, not that kind of phase. I mean the word 'phase', like some sort of plan. Like, a time in which there's some sort of task to do during a certain period to achieve something…like, I guess….oh damn it, it's hard to explain!"

Hank then supplicated, "In other words, a phase, such as a distinguished part of a course of development or cycle in which a condition is met. In other words, it's a stage in some sort of grand scheme or plan."

"Yeah, exactly Beast!"

"Is there anything else you remember, _chere_? It could help us out here," Remy asked, interested.

"Nothing much, but along with that word, I got the following gibberish. The words that kept ringing in my mind were: **_restart, research, recruit_**, and **_reclaim_**."

"Restart…" started Professor X.

"Research…" blurted out Kurt in disbelief.

"Like recruit…" asked a confused Kitty.

"…and reclaim?" finished Sam with shock, "Hate ta' tell ya' this, Rogue, but that doesn't really help. We only know a bunch of plans with some sort of names like a word-puzzle, but we don't much other than that! If we knew what one of these plans was, maybe we could piece it together."

"But other than the names and the fact they all start with '_re-_', all we can do is guess what they could be planning, but we still don't know why Darkseid wants with us," groaned Ray.

"So now what do we do?" Forge asked no one in particular.

"There is nothing we can do, Forge. However, with some of the Joes making a 24-hour guard around our home and with additional support by the police departments in both Gotham City and Metropolis thanks to Maggie Sawyer and James Gordon, we may not be in so deep as we have thought," Professor Xavier sighed.

"It's something at least," Scott agreed wearily.

"And the Misfits will certainly want to help out during this problem since the umbrella also covers under their home and security as well, and considering that they have two new members, it may be the right time to mend the burnt bridges."

"As if we would want to," muttered Jean darkly.

"Normally, I would agree with you, Jean, especially around that lunatic Shipwreck, but if the students' lives are in danger, I am willing to endure their barbaric company for such help," Ororo said as she agitatedly fingered her glass of water.

"And it doesn't seem too bad," Bobby put in, "Lina and that Whitelighter guy seem really nice. And they've got really cool powers! Not lame ones like Xi's invisibility and genetic-code reading and Fred's ability to just stand around like some sort of indestructible punching bag."

"That I would agree with you on, Bobby," Xavier said as he rested his elbows on the arms of his wheelchair, "When we returned back to the Mansion after our altercation with H.A.T.E., I had Forge give Cerebro a power boost while I scanned for their mutant signatures back at the Pit and learned quite a few things."

"Such as?" Scott leaned in along with the rest of the X-Men, interested.

"For starters, though Justin and Lina are still learning and are having some difficulty meeting it, they both have some noticeable potential. Granted, they aren't be as powerful as say Althea, Jean, Scott or Ororo, but they are certainly unique. Whitelighter has the ability to teleport by deconstructing his body matter down to the molecular level and reappear again in any place he chooses by reconstructing back his mass in a matter of seconds and via light energy. And he can take several people with him in this teleportation manner should he be strong enough, and it is also this ability that allows him to reconstruct matter back to its original form, like how he healed Peter's flesh wound and reformed his metal armor! And what is amazing is that the boy also can telekinetically teleport objects or even quantities of energy to him and cause them to reappear wherever he chooses."

"Oh yeah, I remember that!" Bobby exclaimed, "He called it 'orbing' and that's how he was able to take that pipe out of your stomach, Razor! He just…called on it, and it reappeared in his hand! It's sort of like mixing Jean's telekinesis with Kurt's teleportation, except he has to do it verbally. But the problem is he still has a lot of trouble with his mutation. I think he's still not used to it yet."

"_Mein Gott!_" marveled Kurt.

"And Lina is certainly just as unique as well," Xavier continued, "Despite her physical appearance, her mutation has caused her body to undergo some improvements. Like most insects, her body is lighter in density than normal humans around her weight and height, which does allow her to fly and possibly act as a form of transport should people need to ride alongside her during emergencies. And because of this, her strength is slightly stronger than a normal human is capable of, not superhuman, but certainly stronger. And her wings are indestructible, like Peter's metal armor and can move at sonic speeds and could slice through reinforced steel-metal with ease. In fact, I daresay her wings are as strong as Logan's claws but I wouldn't test it in **that** manner. And along with her healing silk protein she can regurgitate from her mouth, her antennae are also a great gift. Those appendages are not just for show. I sensed that over time, Dragonfly can use the antenna to sense her surroundings and incoming dangers, sort of like an insect's sixth sense to be aware of anything approaching near its vicinity like Spider-Man has."

"Whoa, so Lina'll have something like Spider-Man's spider-sense?" Roberto asked, amazed. The Professor gave Logan a brief glance as he emphasized.

"With the proper and correct training, the girl Dragonfly could develop senses that are as keen as yours and Spider-Man's combined, Logan."

Logan grunted; that certainly **_was_** impressive.

"Like totally cool," Kitty beamed.

"Hmph, what a waste," muttered Piotr.

"Well, it doesn't matter anyway, Peter," Jake chastised gently, "Misfits or not, I'm sure Lina and Justin would want to be friendly with us, despite being on different teams. Just because we're on different teams doesn't mean we're not working in the same department. And there's no point complaining about it because it appears that it doesn't change the fact that Justin and Lina enjoy staying with G.I. Joe at the Pit."

"Not exactly, Jake. We could show those two that they may enjoy staying at the X-Mansion even more…" suggested Xavier, bringing his fingers together.

It took only the X-Men a second to get what the Professor was planning.

"So we could try getting Lina as a new recruit? To have her come with us as one of the X-Men!" Bobby said excitedly, almost leaping out of his seat with anticipated eagerness. Some, such as Jean, Remy, and Forge were also just as equally interested.

"From what I can tell, their roles and identities as Misfits is a bit shaky if not nascent, and perhaps this may be an excellent time to show them around the Mansion and get to know Justin and Lina a bit better, especially since they hardly seem to be the lunatics and dysfunctional wrecking crew the Misfits pride so much on being, like what happened when we were interested in asking Low Light to join us. And I'm sure that if their parents were willing to allow them to join G.I. Joe, then they would be just as willing and complacent to let Dragonfly and Whitelighter join the X-Men should it be a better choice for them."

"It would be cool to have more people," Ray voiced slowly, "and they are really nice and more importantly, sane. Heck, they could pass off as normal."

"And it would be a nice little victory for us X-Men, _homme_," Remy grinned impishly.

"I don't know," Kurt voiced slowly, "Things are already bad between us and trying to steal their team members may make things worse, especially since it's not really fair to the Joes and the Misfits. They found them first, so it should mean that the Misfits have the right to welcome Whitelighter and Dragonfly as part of their family."

"I agree with Blue. Just leave them alone and let's just try to patch things up. With H.A.T.E. and this weird Apokolips stuff going around, I don't want to fight with Althea and the others any more, especially since they really haven't done anything wrong," Tabitha piped in, eager to convince her teammates to abandon the thought.

"And we wouldn't like it if the Misfits stole some of our members, so why should it be any different for them?" Jamie shot out, his voice uncharacteristically hard. God, why is it only he and a few others could see that this was crossing a big line?

"We're not **_stealing_** them," Forge smiled mischievously, "We're just making sure they realize that there are other options and that they don't have to be stuck with the lowest common denominator."

"Yeah, we're just stopping them from making a big mistake and wasting their lives," added Roberto.

Scott then reasoned gently, hoping that he could convince the German pacifist the truth, "And we're really helping them for the better, Kurt. C'mon, you know how the Misfits corrupt every single person who's crazy enough to live with them, right? I mean, look at General Hawk and the Joes! Sure they're important, noble, and they fight for freedom and for justice, but they're also nothing more than a bunch of drunks, gamblers, and lunatics! Granted, we have our share of chaos and immaturity here at the Mansion too, but it's definitely more stable than the Pit can ever offer them. Look, Justin and Lina are really nice guys right now, but once they spend enough time with the Misfits…well, what's the old saying? '_Those that lie with dogs wake up with fleas_', right? Well, if Whitelighter and Dragonfly joined us, they would definitely have better control of their powers and be something they could be proud of! And besides, General Hawk always said he _didn't_ want to force anyone if they didn't want to be a Misfit, right?"

Amara then added, "So what's the harm in helping Justin and Lina make sure whether or not they want to stay as Misfits? I agree with Scott and Forge, Kurt, and you know it's not bad. We're not taking them away…we're just helping them grow up and mature."

"No, Amara!" Tabitha protested, "Look, it would be cool and all, but I **_don't_** like it!"

"I agree with Tabitha. This ain't right," Rogue frowned.

Bobby then pointed out, almost a bit too fervently, "Hey, you should talk, Rogue! You left the Lance and the other idiots in that brigade and joined up with the X-Men back when they were still the Brotherhood! How can you just sit there and say it's wrong when you're one of the people who did it in the first place? The same thing can be said about Dragonfly!"

Rogue didn't mention it, but it wasn't lost on a lot of people that Bobby was only concerned about Lina's membership as she argued back, "Hey, when they were the Brotherhood, it was different! They were led under Mystique and Magneto so of course it was a good idea to get out while we could! Now, they're the Misfits, so it's completely in a whole new cotton-field altogether, ice-cube!"

"_Cherie_," Remy soothed in a cajoling tone as he rubbed her shoulders, "it's sweet you're defending them and all, but Remy need to point out that whether those morons were the Brotherhood or the Misfits, the fact is, Remy agree that those two kids be better off with us instead."

"And besides, what about the times the Misfits tried to steal potential new members away from us by trying to be around when Cerebro goes off? Remember all that fiasco when those nuts started to teleport here every day with their Mass Device, just so that they could get the first-hand scoop about new mutants poppin' up? Well, this isn't any different, Rogue. We're just evening the playing field is all," Sam said.

"He's got a point," Jean mused, "and remember when Shipwreck was around, he'd be especially sneaky? So if the Misfits can do it to us, there's no reason why we can't do it to them! After all, turnabout's fair play and everything."

Jake then said softly with crossed paws over his chest, "Yes, Jean, but have the Misfits ever managed to convince one of you to join them instead? It may not be as even as you think."

"As much as I would like to be neutral, I have to agree," Hank said, raising an eyebrow, "Trying to recruit someone first is a far different flavor than trying to consort a mutant who is already established on a team in the first place."

"Wait a minute! Jake, you can't be serious here! I mean, you're on our side!" Piotr cried out, flabbergasted. Jake looked at him wearily, wishing the kids could understand that in his point of view, there were **no** sides in this matter.

The kat said slowly, "Keep in mind, Peter, that one of them saved my life…not that I would have minded dying to be with Chance again, but anyone who does that sort of act on a stranger can't be all bad, and General Hawk seems like a good human. He was concerned about the X-Men's safety as well as the Misfits, so he's not narrow-minded in only being anxious about **_his_** soldiers."

"Good or not, I'd rather have Lina and Justin with us. We could do more for them than the Joes ever could," Jean said flatly which earned her a glare from Rogue, Kurt, Tabitha, and Jamie.

Logan then said shortly, "Chuck, even if it was true, there's no way in hell the Misfits and the Joes wouldn't catch on, especially since they're not stupid. Besides, the last thing I want is even more out-of-control monsters to look after and drive me up the damn walls and making me lose whatever sanity I have left."

"Well, maybe now that we're all in danger and Hawk's trying to make us cooperate, the Misfits wouldn't mind if we did a little something to show some good faith and call some sort of cease-fire so that both of our teams could work together. That might give us the chance to work with Justin and Lina without the Misfits getting too defensive of anything suspicious," suggested Scott, a small, cunning smile growing on his mouth.

"Such as?" the Professor asked.

000-

"They want to **_WHAT?_**" yelled all the Misfits and their parents in disbelief. General Hawk had just recounted a request sent by Professor Xavier himself in the middle of the living room of the Misfit Manor to the mutants and the Joes. Lance, predictably, was not with them and had instead, hardly left his bed in his bedroom ever since that fateful encounter with Kitty back at the Bayville Commons and though Justin, Xi, Toad, and Spirit all tried to coax him out (and Althea had threatened to call on Fred to use force if Lance wouldn't stop moping), the teen was inconsolable and wouldn't even speak much less move. And after Daria, Quinn, and Brittany tried to kidnap him using a crane and a bulldozer (not that Cover Girl and Roadblock were pleased with the new holes in the house), surprisingly, Lance just glumly walked the two miles back home without a word before he curled back on his demolished bed.

Upon realizing it was a lost cause, everyone decided that it was best if Lance was left alone with Spirit checking up on him periodically from time to time.

General Hawk sighed after the ringing in his ears ceased from the thunderous and vociferous outburst before repeating himself, "The X-Men would like to try to have a miniature exchange-visit in which two or three of the X-Men will visit here to spend time with you at the manor for one night, and for another night, they would like the two new recruits, Lina and Justin, to come stay at the X-Mansion for dinner and a movie."

"In other words, we get some of the X-Geeks to come over here to spy on us, and then we send chubby-cheeks and Lina over so that Xavier and Summers try to turn them against us and be X-Men instead!" Pietro groused bitterly.

"Xavier made it clear he wanted to do this because he felt there was too much bad blood between both our groups, and that if we are to fight alongside each other against the Furies and Apokolips, it would be nice to try and make some effort to introduce Jake, Justin, and Lina so that they can know the other affiliation and be more at ease, plus use this as a step to get both our sides to talk to each other. And Hank and Ororo pointed out that just because the old members may have some grudges doesn't mean it is fair to expect Lina, Jake, and Justin to carry those same feelings considering all three of them are in the middle of this cross-fire," Hawk said in a flat, tired, and monotone voice.

"Hawk, you know I support making up with a hug and kiss," Roadblock versed in a hard voice, "but you can't tell me you possibly believe this! The Misfits and X-Men still need time to adjust, and I can say this dinner invitation's gonna be a bust! Lance is hurting and the X-Men hardly care! They just wanna use this time to take Justin and Lina outta our hair!"

"Roadblock's right. Remember when we tried to get the Professor to help me with my nightmares by going into my mind and psyche when I was outed as a mutant? Boy, did **that** one backfire. Not only did nothing get fixed, but our relations with the X-Men went several steps backward on that day when we found out Storm and Xavier wanted to try to get me to stay with the X-Men as well as when Shipwreck mooned the Professor," Low Light reminisced, rolling his eyes behind his sniper goggles.

"I still laugh whenever I look at the picture we got of the Professor's face at that moment," chortled Quinn behind her hands.

"Look, General, we want the X-Men to be safe, and I speak for all of us when we can say if Live Wire or H.A.T.E. attacks them again, we'll be there upon a moment's notice to help them fight against them, but we're not exactly thrilled with the timing of this request to patch up things. True, Xavier is sincere in his beliefs, but after what he saw from Lina and Justin, we're not sure it would be a good thing to do this, especially since it's really suspicious that he asked that **_only_** Justin and Lina come to the X-Mansion," Cover Girl explained, her eyes a bit troubled. She grew to love Lina like her own daughter, and she would be damned if she would willingly stand aside and let Xavier take her. Had Lina wanted to join the X-Men of her own free will, yes, Courtney would have had no problem and would have treasured Lina all the same from the long distance. Yet this wasn't the same, and the discreet Trojan Horse in the offer was _very_ obvious to everyone.

"WAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" wailed Fred in a mournful voice, already picturing the worse, "Lina and Justin are going to go to the X-Men and leave us when they see how much better off they are than us! Like Lance did for Kitty when he tried to join the X-Geeks! Waaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!"

Justin awkwardly offered Fred a Kleenex box, really uncomfortable at the subject matter, as he said, "Fred, we won't leave. We promise, and I won't leave Blind Master, especially since he saved my life back when we first ran into each other. So no matter what happens, you'll be stuck with us."

"Waaaaaaaahhhhh!" sobbed Fred as he grabbed Justin an emotional bear-hug and started to squeeze the teenager for all he was worth in appreciative closeness, which led to the wide-eyed Justin feeling like he was being crushed to death in a very painful, suffocating vise while his face turned blue. By Reptilion, not even Bronto-Thunder hugged him** this** hard, and he could swear he head his spine snap in two.

"So who're the X-Men coming here?" Althea asked, frowning yet at the same time, a bit curious, picking at the threadbare arm of the easy chair she was sitting on.

"Since they're not foolish enough to send Kitty, Jean or Scott, the adults decided to allow two of the kids to tag along with Jake, especially since Jake wanted to get a chance to meet you personally."

"Jake? You mean the cat guy? The new teacher back at the Mansion?" Daria asked, her eyes shooting up with surprise and pleasant eagerness.

"You know anything about him?" Wanda asked the young mutant genius, her raven and red locks bouncing back and forth over her forehead.

"Yeah, give us the dirt on him!" Pietro said eagerly, his eyes gleaming with wickedness while rubbing his hands together in anticipation for potential blackmail, "So what's his story? Is he an escaped convict? A serial killer? Stole millions of dollars from a town's treasury fund? Is a retired secret agent? Went swimming naked in Central Park in New York City with the State Representative's daughter?"

Xi gave Pietro a deadpanned look as he commented, "Pietro, that last one was **you**. You got that charge for indecent exposure two weeks ago by the New York City Council, remember? That was also the day you were declared a menace and public pervert and had a mass restraining order filled out by a hysterical Representative that bans you from being within five-hundred feet to anything female and in a skirt within the limits of the Big Apple."

"Oh please," waved Pietro in a prideful manner, "He was overreacting! I've done a lot worse! And besides, it's not like I hit on his wife or anything!"

"Uh, actually, you **did**, yo," chipped in Toad, "Remember? That was the day before when the reporters caught the two of you doing the Brittney Spears' bump-n-grind moves in a foam party during the ribbon cutting of the new golf course at the Atrium Plaza penthouse."

"Hey, the guy's over seventy!" protested Pietro hotly, "How was I supposed to know that twenty-year old, Swedish model was his wife?"

"Anyway, getting back to the subject that's actually **_important_**," Wanda said a bit impatiently, her voice slightly louder and more forceful than normal, before turning back to the Delgado Triplets, "So what's the deal with Jake? I mean, anyone who wants to meet us after hearing the horror stories the X-Men have probably piled on him has got to be a little bit weird. I'm a little surprised he's so willing to set foot on the Pit."

"Give it time and we'll change _that_ one…" smiled Daria secretly as she then said, "And from the e-mails Jamie sent us, he told us his real name is Jake Clawson and that he's not really a mutant. He's actually from another dimension, a parallel world like Earth where cats ruled and became the dominant species instead of humans. The X-Men accidentally traveled to his dimension and got stuck there, and when they ran into him, he helped them get back home. Since he didn't have anywhere to go, the X-Men invited him to live with them in our world, especially since he didn't have any family or any place he wanted to stay in. From what we've been able to deduce, Jake lost everyone he cared about to a ruthless band of criminal syndicates that formed some sort of alliance against him, and as a result, he was all alone."

"An alternate dimension?" gaped Roadblock, "Girl, that's really pushing the bar cause it's one of the weirder things we've heard so far!"

"It's true," piped up Brittany, "Even the Professor will tell you the same thing."

"Weird, but how did the X-Men even manage to do it in the first place and travel to a parallel universe?" Xi asked, amazed.

"Take a wild guess."

"One of Forge's _brilliant_ inventions backfired again, didn't it?" Althea asked flatly, deadpanned and a bit sardonically.

"You win, Sis! How'd you know?"

"It actually wasn't that difficult to guess to begin with when you think about it," Althea said with an amused face.

"So he's all alone and trying to get over his past grief and loss by trying to be an instructor for hyperactive, mutant teenagers? Wow, that's rough," murmured Shipwreck, raising an eyebrow. He could have honestly felt sorry for Jake; he wasn't so sure how he would cope if he lost his children, especially since he already experienced the pain of having Mara leave him.

"Freddy, what's wrong, yo?" Todd then asked, seeing that Fred was frowning thoughtfully at the mention, his mind concentrating in frustration at trying to piece together something he had forgotten long ago.

"Hmmmm…something about his name…I dunno why but I swear, the more I hear his name, the more I get the feelin' I've heard Jake Clawson from somewhere before," Fred announced.

"Doesn't ring any bells with me," Althea said, shaking her head, "Although if you want, I can have Mainframe and Dial-Tone try to dig up anything they can find on this guy, but I don't think it'll help. If Jake's from an alternate dimension, we're not going to have any public or secret record about his status quo and persona here in our dimension. He would have never existed."

"So who're the two X-Geeks who're coming with this Razor guy?" Pietro asked crossly, tapping his foot a bit.

"And exactly how much did Xavier and the adult X-Men bribe them?" Wanda finished in a dry tone. General Hawk actually managed to prevent himself from grinning as he took a sip of coffee from the mug that the Blind Master offered him.

Hawk said, "Actually…they **_volunteered_**. It's Jamie and Tabby. They wanted to come visit you and see if Lance is doing all right. From what I can tell, they're really worried about him, and they also stated that they missed all of you very much so. And since they're close to Jake, they naturally wanted to join in on this."

"Well, I'd rather have them than Summers or perfect, stuck-up Jean come over," Todd said after pondering this, "Plus, Tabby and Jamie are cool, yo, so I'm game for this. It'll be nice if we can get Jake to like us! And besides, if Xavier thinks he's gonna be able to take our team members away from us Misfits, he's gonna have another thought comin'!"

"Yeah!" chorused Fred, Pietro, and Trinity at once eagerly.

"Maybe we can get Clawson to join the Misfits and leave the X-Men after meeting with us," suggested Shipwreck, and on cue, everyone, save Justin, gave Shipwreck a deadpanned look of disbelief, a look that clearly said, "Are you possibly **that** dumb?" Shipwreck then sheepishly scratched the back of his head while his bearded face turned bright red.

"Well…it's **_possible_**," he muttered insistently, embarrassed and slightly backpedaling.

Meanwhile, Fred noticed Lina stepping out of Lance's room with an uneaten tray of food, and surreptitiously, the large, big-boned mutant stepped as gently as he could towards the dim hallway while the Misfits and the Joes were animatedly talking about the proposal.

"How is he?" Fred asked in a worried, soft voice. Lina was a bit startled, but upon seeing it was Fred, she smiled a bit with ease despite the fretting discomfort over her heartbroken brother.

"He hasn't eaten at all," she murmured worriedly, "In fact, Lance hasn't even touched his food nor has he come down for meals. And it won't do any good to force-feed him. I guess he's still in shock, and hopefully, his private sessions with Psyche-Out and Spirit will have more success than we've had so far. From what I can tell when Xi and Trinity wire-tapped Psyche-Out's office, Lance is opening up to Spirit, but everyone can tell he's still hurting despite the counseling. An hour of therapy only goes so far, and this will probably take weeks if not months. He didn't even want to go out to torture Beach Head and turned down an invitation from Toad, Althea, the Triplets and Pietro to booby-trap Senator Kelly's office along with the X-Mansion."

Fred whistled as he commented, "Wow, that **_is_** bad."

The Mohawk-bearing mutant then eyed the sandwich, milk, and celery sticks on the tray hungrily, and spotting the longing look, Lina's smile grew even wider with amusement as she held the dinner up suggestively. Upon needing no encouragement, Fred started tucking in.

"Thanks," Fred said though mouthfuls of ham and cheese before he continued, "Uh…Lina? Do you…uh, do you really want to go to the X-Mansion, just you and Justin? I mean…uh…I mean…"

The insect-girl cocked her head a bit quizzically, but touched all the same at the concern.

"Are you worried about me?" Fred nearly choked on the celery stick in his mouth, now so nervous at trying to find a hidden cover to his true answer he was dying to say.

"Uh…well…I, uh…" but the large mutant Texan was so tongue-tied, he couldn't even think, staring at the floor in edgy discomfiture and awkwardness. Lina then felt a bit perturbed as she then asked a difficult question.

"Fred…how…how would you feel if I did go join the X-Men?" she asked hypothetically. God, she didn't even know why she asked **that** one; it came from absolutely nowhere. Fred looked up, horrified, desperate to do anything to beg her not to follow through on such a notion or to confess how it would greatly hurt him if she joined them and how painful if he lost her.

A voice of insecurity echoed mockingly in his head, _Are you kidding? She'll laugh in your face if you try telling her that you have feelings for her, that you'd be heartbroken if she left to join the X-Men and didn't be a Misfit anymore. Granted, if she even was an X-Man to begin with, you'd still be nice to her and defend her all the same, but you sure she'd even like you, fatso? I mean, c'mon! You've seen how the other X-Boys looked at her at the carnival! They love her! She's nice, patient, gentle, soft-spoken, and even just meeting them for a few minutes, the X-Men already trust her and want to know her better…while **you** were tossed out into a garbage yard on your first day of school and the girl you had a crush on threw your words back in your face! She's everything you'd never be…she's everything that's too good for you. **Lina** is too good for you, fat boy. The minute she sees the single heartthrobs like Drake or Roberto or Ray, she'll drop you without a second thought! You're way out of your league with her, fat boy!_

"Uh…I…well…whatever makes you happy, I guess. I mean, will that make you happy? Are you even happy here?" Fred finally finished lamely, trying his best to hide the sadness from his voice. Lina looked a bit disappointed; that wasn't the answer she was expecting, hoping for really…

_Like **that's** a surprise_, her reason told her in a disdainful tone, _Look at yourself! Who would even want to date a girl who looks like a bug, a creature who wants to be nothing more than a target to be squished and squashed like a pesky fly? You think Fred'll suddenly announce that he loves you regardless of what you are on the outside? Please, you're so hideous, you'd make Quasimodo look like Prom Queen of the Century! That's the only reason you try to be nice and gentle, because it's the only way you can compensate being so hideous! You think Fred will want no one else but you? **HA!** There are so many girls who'd love him, will love how he's so dedicated to his friends and tries to see past the exterior and judges a person on the inside and not to mention he's becoming an excellent cook to boot thanks to Roadblock and studying to be a psychologist like Psyche-Out. He's smart, considerate, doesn't pick on the weak, and tries to act a peacemaker in the Misfits…he's a catch all right, just not for **you**, Insect-girl!_

"Uh…" Now Fred wasn't the only one who was tongue-tied. Fred's face fell as he saw how Lina couldn't answer that last question.

Lina couldn't take it anymore as she whispered in a meek, mousy voice, "Fred…do you…do you…?"

Oh God, Fred would have rather requested to be dumped in a volcano full of snakes and boiling water than answer the question he **_knew_** was coming. Fred tried to say a resounding "YES! MORE THAN ANYTHING!" but his voice died in his throat from nervousness until he did the only thing he could think of.

"I gotta go take this to the sink," he said hurriedly as he rushed to the kitchen with the empty tray, not turning around to see the look of hurt and shock on Dragonfly's face, but it was just as well considering she couldn't see the look of humiliated brokenness and self-loathing on Blob's face. Blob felt lower than dirt as he mentally kicked himself.

"Why couldn't I tell her?" he groaned softly to himself. And back in the shadowed hallway…

"Why couldn't I tell him?" Lina moaned softly to herself.

000-

"Hey Toad, Althea!" Tabitha said cheerfully as she, Jamie, and Jake popped in the front yard of the Misfit Manor thanks to the teleportation of the Mass Device and with Shipwreck, Roadblock, and Blind Master. It was late in the morning on a beautiful Saturday and the Misfits had finished their training sessions half an hour ago, and it was time for the chosen X-Men to drop by for their visit to the Pit. All the Misfits, including Lance, were waiting for them. Jamie was dressed in a usual T-shirt and jeans while Jake was wearing his treasured, frayed mechanic outfit complete with his red baseball cap turned backwards. Tabitha was dressed in her usual pink shirt and tan slacks.

"Welcome, Tabby!" Pietro called out with a big smile, "Glad to see our little resident psycho-blondie again!"

"Funny, I'd thought you'd have taken over that title already, Speedy," shot back Tabitha, laughing, as she grabbed Pietro in a fierce hug, "And by the way, you guys better not stop by the Mansion for a little while until things cool down. Before we left, Jean and Scott were screaming and hollering something fierce about needing to take the Aquain to the Pit so that they can pay you guys back for the pranks you pulled on the Institute by personally seeing that certain Misfits lose important body parts."

"Which one are they referring to, yo?" Toad asked, grinning like Christmas had come early, "The **fake** fake dog-poo?"

"No, but thanks for reminding me: Rogue says you owe Peter a new drawing pad."

Wanda then asked, curious and eager to know more, "Was it the slime mold in the shoes? The one we made from a mixture of Toad's slime, Beach Head's sweat, ground up dirty diapers of Claudius and Barney, and the bog swamp-water from Reptilion?"

"Reptilion? Hmph, that's a new one…no, but speaking of which, Kitty wanted me to tell you that when she gets her hands on you for that, she'll do things that would even make Magneto wince and request her for ideas on violent torture sessions. She's still trying to get the smell out of her feet, and I'm pretty sure you gave her foot fungus now. And you also ruined her favorite and most expensive pair of Doc Martins."

"The special, laxative-induced mayonnaise?" Xi asked, smirking.

"Blue got that one, and judging by how long he stayed in the bathroom for afterwards, it made me really glad I only use mustard on my sandwiches."

"The special fruit basket which had apples filled with Airtight's homemade formula?" Althea grinned.

"Actually, that got to Logan and Hank, and you probably don't want to be around them for a while until that hoax blows over with those two as well. You should have heard how loudly Beast and Badger screamed when they found out that thanks to the tampered fruit, they can't drink any alcohol of any sort for the next three weeks until the stuff passes out of their system. Unless if they don't mind passing off chunks for a good hour. In fact, we had to lock them up in the Danger Room to prevent them from hunting you guys down while Mr. McCoy and Wolverine threw total screaming fits, complete with twitching eyes and metal breakdowns. We even got pictures of Wolverine breaking down right there and then on his knees and sobbing when we cleared his beer out of the fridge to lessen the temptation."

"How much?" grinned Pietro.

"Ten bucks for a set of three, and if you pay now, we'll throw in a photo of Beast losing his lunch right into the pot that contained Storm's rare 'blooms once every six months during the full-moon' plant in her greenhouse."

"As much as it was classic," Jake said, raising one eyebrow and a corner of his mouth twitched upwards in order to show a fang jutting out of his mouth, "you Misfits really shouldn't have done that. I mean, jokes are funny and all, but it does pain me a bit to see you do it to the X-Men, especially since these aren't you run-of-the-mill pranks and it's really causing a lot of chaos back at the Mansion. Hellkats, you little nutcases could even make Feral cry."

The Misfits rolled their eyes at the kat for the lecture, but Tabitha could see that Jake was doing his best not to smile.

"Like you didn't enjoy the look on Logan's face when the Professor decided that you get to have all his beer," Tabitha smiled, "In fact, Logan tried to kill you at that point, saying if he could enjoy his alcohol, then you wouldn't be able to either by default once he ripped your windpipe out of your throat."

"I said it wasn't right…but I **_never_ **said it wasn't as funny as hell," Jake smiled at last, his toothy grin impish and mischievous like a young scamp.

Meanwhile, Jamie started whining for someone to help him as Daria, Quinn, and Brittany tackled him all at once to the grassy ground, trying to smother the adolescent with a multitude of kisses and hugs.

"Ah! Aaaah! Get them off me! Get them off! And yeow, stop undoing my pants! **_Get your hands off my zipper!_**" Jamie hollered shrilly as he tried to fight them off, but the fact that three, ninja-trained eleven-year old girls were sitting on top of him made it quite difficult for Jamie to try and scurry off out of their clutches.

"Kissy time, our little stud-muffin!" Quinn cheered as she and her sisters kept trying to peck Jamie on the face while Justin, Fred, and Cover Girl were doing their best to restrain and drag the Triplets off the poor X-Man. Though it was hard to argue that it wasn't funny as well.

"Hey, you should be grateful, Jamie," smiled Jake, "Not a lot of people can brag that they are the simultaneous player target for affection of triplet sisters." Then the kat, Jamie, and Tabby could see Lance looking at all three of the guests, his face pale and his eyes weary and bloodshot but still managing to give a small, hesitant smile. Jake recognized the look of hurt, of misery, of lingering, aching sadness. It was the same one mirrored on his own face whenever he reminisced about Chance, and Jake honestly could have said his heart went out to the human teenager.

"Hey Rocky," Tabitha said, shedding off her carefree façade as she went over to her friend, truly and deeply concerned…and pained. Jamie, sniffing a bit, ran over and gave Lance a powerful hug around Avalanche's waist; he didn't forget how much of a protective big brother Lance became when they found Jamie was nearly dying of alcohol poisoning months ago before the blowout. Lance felt a bit better at the gesture as he patted Multiple's hair.

"You holding up?" Tabitha asked tenderly. Lance's face fell a bit grimly as he shook his head briefly before he turned to Razor who was already offering a paw out to Lance with soft eyes.

"We never formally met, but I'm Jake. Jake Clawson…and I can honestly say it's a pleasure to meet you face to face finally, Lance. I was a little worried when you left before we could actually say hello," the brown-furred X-Man said in a sincere and friendly voice as Lance took his paw and shook awkwardly. There was still a bit of suspicious wariness and guarded caginess in the geokinetic's eyes (along with some of the other Misfits), and upon spotting it, Jake just smiled sadly.

"Just because I'm an X-Man doesn't mean I don't care about people, young kitten," Jake said before he turned to the driveway leading to the garage of Misfit Manor and saw Lance's army jeep. It wasn't hard to guess, considering that Tabitha regaled wild tales of how she stolen his car back when they were the Brotherhood, and from the fact that the jeep body was clean, the tires shiny with not a speck of mud, and the leather seats still shiny with polish, Jake could tell Lance was an avid lover of his car and motor-vehicles in general.

"Nice Jeep, an Army Hotchkiss M201 model complete an adjustable backseat from what I can tell from the appearance," Jake said automatically. Lance's eyes shot up a bit in surprise, but he nodded a bit gratefully, slightly opening up.

"Yeah, but I haven't driven it for a while. Pietro threw something in the motor when he took it for a joyride last week, and as a result, the transmission's dead along with getting some funny noises from the front axle every time I shift it into neutral."

"Mind if I take a look? I'm the resident mechanic back at the X-Mansion. I'd be glad to help you out," Jake offered warmly. Lance still was incredibly hesitant; the Jeep was his baby, his treasure, one of the few things he took great pride and care of in the world along with his woobie and his family, and the only people he allowed to touch it were Spirit, Cover Girl and Althea. Jamie nudged Lance, whispering a bit.

"You can trust him, Lance. Jake's cool, and he's the nicest guy…uh kat, you could ever know, and he treats all the jets and cars and the Aquain back at the Institute like they were his own children. Trust me, Jake knows how important cars are, and he can do magic on anything mechanical." Lance just numbly looked at the kat, not sure if he wanted to endure throwing his caution to the winds again and risk getting hurt by an X-Man of all people. Rolling her eyes, Althea gave Lance a push forward to get the ball rolling as he, Jamie, Justin, and Jake went over to the Jeep for a look.

As it turned out, it went much better than anyone could have ever hoped. While Tabitha spent the day gossiping and laughing with the other Misfits along with watching a whole set of DVD movies, Lance and Jake worked together over the Jeep while Jamie and Justin mostly watched, chuckling altogether under the stifling heat and greasy parts while tinkering and fiddling. Justin was staring hesitantly at Jake, giving him thoughtful glances, and though Jake gave brief glimpses at Justin in return out of the corner of his eye, he did not show any indication that he was bothered by being watched intently. Jamie was curious at the odd behavior, but he didn't think it was incredibly obtrusive, and indeed, Jamie and Justin became fast friends, laughing at small jokes and stories of the hectic life at the X-Mansion. And eventually, Lance and Jake managed to get the Jeep working in perfect order and had it purring smoothly like a content kitten. Overjoyed, Lance invited Jake and Jamie to come along with him and Justin to the Joes' motor pool for a joyride, and Spirit and the Blind Master just smiled contently from the sidelines at seeing the four laughing while Jake and Lance (and even Jamie) took turns behind the wheel. Upon meeting several Joes, Jake got along famously with Airtight, Wild Bill, Cross Country and Bazooka and spent the afternoon and early evening touring the various vehicles, tanks, and aircrafts and even helping Wild Bill work on the turbo engines of a Blackbird military jet. The Joe pilot especially bonded well with Razor considering his vast knowledge of mechanics and jet engines.

And it was over dinner of chili dogs, corn-on-the-cob, and fruit salad back at the Misfit Manor when Jamie accidentally blurted out that Jake used to be a SWAT Kat, which immediately sparked up the dawning recognition from a lot of the Misfits and some of the adults…

"**_I knew it!_** I knew I heard the name Jake Clawson from somewhere before! I knew it! You're Jake Clawson, the guy who's also Razor and a protector and vigilante of Megakat City! Just like on TV!" cried out Fred excitedly, his hunger momentarily forgotten.

"Wow, just exactly like from TV, yo!" laughed Todd with glee, his mouth full of hot dog and corn and a s a result, was a bit rudely spattering flecks of food out of his mouth onto the table, "That's cool, yo! I mean, we actually find out something we watch on TV is actually real and exists in some sort of parallel universe, yo! This is really, really cool! Just think of what else on TV exists in other realities, yo!"

"Jamie, what part of keeping my identity a secret did you not understand, you little scamp, you?" Jake gave Jamie, who was sitting next to him, a mock glower, and blushing, Jamie tried to dart out from the table, but he was too slow as Jake grabbed the younger kid and started tickling him unmercifully. Jamie squealed for intervention, which led to the Triplets and Lance dog-piling on Jake for fun while Tabitha, in the spirit of fun, started throwing cobs of corn like little throwing daggers, out to defend Jake's honor.

This, predictably of course, led to a food fight between the Misfits and Jake, Tabitha, and Jamie, and though Lina, Justin, and the Misfit handlers took no part of it, they smiled, chuckling at the scene of frolic and ruckus.

"Kiwi-slices ninja stars!" yelled Wanda as she flung them at Tabitha, getting a few good, direct hits on the blonde X-Girl as well as the nearby wall and lamp.

"Butter Stick Bazooka!" shouted Jamie as he tossed several of the aforementioned objects, getting them stuck in Althea and Pietro's hair.

"Slime attack, yo!" laughed Todd as he slimed Lance, Wanda, Jake, Pietro, and Xi all at once.

"**_TOAD, PREPARE TO DIE!_**" they all roared, laughing, as it led to a furious chase scene, leading to a demolished living room as the teenagers took it outside, running around the house in circles while trying to tackle the madly hopping frog-mutant. Jamie wiped the tears of mirth from his eyes as he helped clean up the mess along with the adults. Althea, Shipwreck, and Low Light spoke to Jamie privately.

"Jamie, is there a reason why Chance didn't come along with Razor? I mean, when Daria told us Jake lost everything to some band of ruthless criminals, does that mean…?" Althea trailed off but Jamie could tell what she was trying to ask.

"Chance is dead. He got killed by Dark Kat and the Invincible Alliance trying to save the city, and Jake was so heartbroken when it happened. He even tried to kill himself with a bomb in some attempt to take out Dark Kat with him as a suicide attempt, and if we didn't stop him in time, it might have happened," Jamie explained softly in a mournful voice. Althea looked pained and sympathetic.

Low Light shook his head sadly as he picked up the trampled remains of a chili dog, "Poor guy."

Shipwreck smiled optimistically as he said, "Aw, he'll get through. Nothing a few drinks and time won't cure. Besides, didn't you notice how fast he bonded with the Misfits and how protective and understanding this guy is towards Tabby and the kid? He's healing. Slowly, of course, but anyone with half a brain can tell he loves those kids a lot. It's giving him some kinda purpose."

"Half a brain, huh? Doesn't really explain then why **_you're_** able to see it, Pops," Althea quipped, smiling slyly. Jamie and Low Light rolled their eyes at each other amused; they could see Shipwreck setting himself up for **_that_** one a mile away.

"Har har," Shipwreck glowered at his daughter dryly, but a yell from outside got everyone's attention.

"**_GET AWAY FROM ME, YOU LITTLE NUTCASES!_**" yowled Jake as the Misfits and the Joes in the house saw the kat sprinting for his life while being closely followed by Daria, Quinn, and Brittany, all of them holding strange, surgical metal instruments and squealing happily.

"Come back, Razor! We're not going to hurt you…much!" Quinn giggled.

"Besides, we're only following state law! The PETA says that all household pets **_have_** to be spayed and neutered!" cackled Daria as she wielded a tough pair of surgical clamps.

"And we need a test subject to try out our experimental and soon-to-be patented _Neuterator 3000_!" Brittany said as she held a device that looked like a cross between a pizza-cutter, a metal-claw, and a laser, "And we need a subject who's big enough that doesn't bleed very easily like the ten hamsters we tried this on before!"

"**_SOMEBODY SAVE ME! THESE KIDS ARE PSYCHOPATHS!_**" Jake hollered as he did his best to outrun Trinity while darting in and out between the tanks as the Triplets tried to tackle him.

"Uh…shouldn't we help him?" Justin asked, very fearful and concerned, "I mean…neutering him is kinda cruel and unusual, even for _Trinity_."

Tabitha grinned as she chuckled walking up to the front porch where they all gathered to ogle, "Nah, Jake's not in any danger. The Triplets may rough him up a bit, but Jake's gonna come out with his body and family jewels intact. They're just trying to psyche him out."

"And how are **_you_** so sure?" Fred asked, really puzzled and a bit suspicious.

Tabitha's grin grew wider as she explained, "Because Badger back at the X-Mansion had personally paid each one of those maniacs a hundred bucks each if they made Jake's visit to the Pit a living hell. Nothing that results in bodily injury, but he specified, and I quote, 'something that will scar the hairball for life and make him come crying back home with his tail between his legs'."

"That's not very nice," frowned Justin gently, his voice slightly scolding.

"It may not be nice, but it's sure as funny as hell," Jamie grinned, echoing Jake's earlier words.

000-

"Wow," murmured Lina, wearing a backless white blouse and black slacks and brown sandals, dressed by Cover Girl's expert eye and good taste.

"Yeah, wow," Justin echoed dumbly, wearing a casually-buttoned dress-shirt and jeans. Both Justin and Lina were standing at the front lawn of the X-Mansion and were nervously gaping in awe at the building and grounds. It certainly was impressive, with its beige colored walls, luscious green lawns and gardens brimming with statues and wildflowers of all assortments (the pride and joy of Ororo), and the Institute itself seemed spacious, luxurious, and certainly part of the distinguished upper-crust of society. Yet despite the exquisite tastefulness and rich sophistication of a prime academy, it seemed a bit daunting as well.

Justin shivered a bit as he explained weakly, "It's so…big."

"I know you're nervous, but try to relax and have fun like how Jamie and Tabitha and Jake had fun over at our dinner several days ago. The X-Men are good people and they would never hurt you like the people had done to your before in your childhood during your hate curse. I know you feel uneasy around large groups of people, but the X-Men will treat you and Lina well and as respected guests," said Blind Master draped his arm over Justin's shoulders in an attempt to calm down Whitelighter. He and Cover Girl both decided to drop off Lina and Justin to the X-Mansion, and they also volunteered to General Hawk to take part of the sentry duty along with some of the other Joes around the X-Mansion, just to ease their worry and to keep a closer eye on their charges. Hawk didn't object in the slightest.

Cover Girl then told them softly as all four of them walked up the cobblestone walkway, "Now remember, mind your manners and try not to get so easily offended at what they say about you or us. And for God's sake, don't blab out all our secrets, especially you Justin. You have the tendency to say stuff before you think of it, and I don't want you to rub off the wrong way on the X-Men, especially since we're trying to patch things up between both of our groups. And Lina, don't tell them too much about what we've been dealing with and such like the encounters with the Dinosaucers or the island adventure with the giant creatures, and there's no need to answer more than necessary. Don't volunteer information if you can help it."

"You make it sound like you don't trust them," Lina commented skeptically as they stepped in front of the main entrance, directly facing the polished mahogany door with golden handles and hinges. Cover Girl sighed.

"I **_do_** trust them, Lina, but there are certain tidbits of information that we feel the X-Men are not ready to listen or hear yet," the female Joe solider clarified, feeling a bit conflicted but knowing it was for the best.

"Is that why you had us bring our wrist-communicators along with wearing these special devices that block telepaths from reading our thoughts?" Lina asked as she pointed to the flesh-colored band-aid on her temple. Cover Girl nodded as Blind Master rang the doorbell, hearing the rich chimes echo in the room along with the stamping feet of a fast approach.

"But over all, just have fun and try your best to be friendly and peaceful, OK, kids?" Gabriel asked warmly, smiling, and both Lina and Justin nodded respectfully as the door opened to reveal a smiling Kitty and Bobby who was even more awestruck on seeing Lina.

"Like, hey, you guys are just on time! We've been wanting to give you guys like a total tour of the Mansion!" Kitty said eagerly as she took the stunned Justin's hands and dragged him into the foyer before Justin could even yelp in surprise.

"Uh…Blind Master, Cover Girl? Don't you guys want to come in and join the tour with Lina and Justin?" Bobby asked, but the Joes shook their heads.

"We have to talk with Snake Eyes about guard duty and plan some strategies for dealing with H.A.T.E. Besides, this is really a time for Lina and Justin to know you X-Men better and we'd be intruding on it, so by all means, don't mind us and have fun."

Bobby nodded very eagerly as he took the shy Lina's hands and joined along with Kitty and Justin as they went up to Professor Xavier, Scott, and Jean who were waiting for the visitors at the bottom of the grand stairs leading into the upstairs wings and rooms. Lina couldn't get over how nicely and richly furnished the entire house was in, and though she could detect various incidences of fire, explosions, and refurbished and renovated repairs all over the walls and floor, the entire Institute of Gifted Youngsters was like something out of "_Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous_".

"Ah, welcome, Mr. Moore and Ms. Chakram," the Professor smiled warmly as he shook their respective hands, "Welcome to the Institute and I must say I am very pleased to finally have a chance to meet the both of you, especially since you both have saved Bobby and Jake from succumbing to lethal injuries after the battle with H.A.T.E. Please, make yourselves comfortable and we hope you enjoy your time here."

"Uh…likewise, Mr. Xavier," Justin said, giving a small bow of respect, as he politely shook the mentor's hand, "It's…it's really nice of you to invite us here."

For the past half-hour, the five X-Men led the two new Misfits all over the mansion and outside of the gardens where they also met Logan, Hank, and Ororo, the main instructors of the X-Men. Justin was especially scared upon seeing the fierce, animal-like Wolverine ad he couldn't help but cower slightly as he tried to shirk behind Kitty, but Lina really didn't seem too intimidated (she had to deal with an angry Beach Head at the infirmary when she had to administer a rabies shot when he got attacked by a pack of Junkyard's dogs due to the fact that someone mysteriously switched his cologne with beef extract). And after the tour, the X-Men waited in the living room where they ran into the other X-Men and the New Mutants. Though Dragonfly and Whitelighter would have preferred to not really talk too much, it was hard to not open up to a group of **_very_** talkative and curious mutants around their age. And it got easier when Tabitha, Jamie, and Jake arrived in the room to greet their visitors.

"Hey Jamie, Tabby, Jake!" exclaimed Lina happily, and Justin turned bright red when his eyes met Jake's and embarrassed, Justin hurriedly glanced back to the carpet, but Jake chuckled as he sat next to the extremely nervous teenage boy.

"So, what's it like being a Misfit?" Roberto asked while sitting on the davenport, "I mean, how did your parents take it after they met up with them?" Lina looked down, a bit restrained and hesitant; ever since her parents discovered her being a mutant, they heartlessly disowned her, but Justin, upon seeing the traces of regret on his teammate's face, jumped in blithely.

"Well, it wasn't easy, and to tell you guys the truth, my family wanted to contact Professor Xavier at first, but my father was dead set against it, and when I ran into the Misfits and the Joes, it got a little…tense, especially between my Dad and Blind Master, but eventually Allo and the others saw that Hawk was sincere and thought it would be better for me to go with them, especially since they saw how great they are with their own powers."

"Allo? That's a weird name…are you from another country, like me? I'm from Roma Nova, so I've dealt with names that aren't very common. Is your family from another country or what?" Amara asked, curious and amiable. Justin felt like kicking himself; he had inadvertently opened his big mouth and inserted the shoe-store.

"Uh…something like that," he lamely covered. Luckily, the X-Men didn't take too much notice about this, and Scott was more interested in another fact.

"Wait…so at first, your parents wanted you to join the X-Men?" he said, his eyebrows perking up a bit. Justin nodded.

Jean then jumped in a bit insistently, "So, if we talked with them, would they still be willing? I mean, it would help your parents if we showed them what life could be like for you and Lina if you guys stayed at the Mansion with us."

Now Justin was looking especially fearful, almost like he wanted to jump and hide somewhere dark and secluded, sorry he even brought it up. Lina's voice was a bit curt and blunt as she retorted back to the telekinetic's question.

"Don't bother; it won't help."

Jean looked a bit insulted, but a quick jab by Scott into her side kept her silent as he hissed discreetly, "Don't. She's obviously had a rough time with her parents if she acts like this. Just let Lina be."

Kitty then asked a bit hesitantly, trying to make her voice sound nonchalant but failing miserably as she stammered, "Uh…so Lina? How…how's…how's Lance doing? Is he OK?"

Piotr was frowning, incredibly irate and snubbed, at Kitty's back at the question, but Lina softened up when she could tell that Kitty was still worried about Lance and how he was taking being dumped. She truthfully answered, "Well, he's doing better…but after that day, he would do nothing but stay in his room and mope around, not even coming out for dinner. To tell you the truth, when Jake, Tabby, and Jamie came out to visit us, that was the first time Lance managed to venture out of his room, but don't worry. He's getting better and starting to adjust."

"See, Kitty?" Piotr then interrupted forcefully, trying to cover the bitterness in his voice as he pleasantly hugged his girlfriend, "Lance is fine, so you were worried over him for nothing."

Kitty cuddled back against Piotr, but deep inside, she was still deeply concerned.

At dinner, things got a little easier, and it was not lost of the Professor, Ororo, and Scott that Lina and Justin were quite cordial and polite, saying 'please' and 'thank you' generously along with having decent manners, not displaying the usual crudeness of the other Misfits' eating habits. Lina was chatting quite well with Sam, Bobby, Tabitha, and Rogue while Justin nervously and mostly kept to himself, though he did join in some small talk with Piotr, Jamie, and Remy. Yes, it wouldn't be difficult if Lina and Justin joined the X-Men, especially since Jean told Xavier via a telepathic mind-link that Justin's parents originally wanted to contact the X-Men when Justin's mutation first arose.

"Ummm…Forge…could you pass the salt, please?" Justin asked timidly, but upon the word _salt_, to everyone's surprise, the salt-shaker vanished in a mass of sparkling, white lights and flashes before reappearing into Justin's outstretched hand, and gasping Justin looked incredibly jumpy and panicky as he went into full apology-mode.

"Oh! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to use my powers! They just happened! I still have trouble controlling it! _I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!_ I didn't mean to break any rules or anything!" he said in an anxious, fearful rush. Yet none of the X-Men were angry in the slightest.

"Wow, that was completely awesome, Justin!" Kurt marveled, his eyes wide.

"Is that your…telekinesis?" Rogue asked, interested, to which Justin nodded, still slightly hyperventilating. Logan then clamped his hand on Justin's shoulder and said gruffly, frowning and tired of this foolishness.

"Kid…**_breathe_**. Stop being so damn emotional and **calm down**."

The Professor then asked, trying to keep his voice even and casual, "Justin…do you still have trouble controlling your…'orbing'?"

"Well, kinda…but Blind Master is helping me with controlling my telekinetic orbing so that it can work whenever I want to invoke it and not just when I get too scared or surprised. I'm…I'm making progress."

"But not as fast as you would like, am I right?" Xavier pushed gently, "If the Joes are having such a difficult time with your mutation, then perhaps your father and Gabriel wouldn't mind if I gave you some additional help. It would be of no trouble with us, and I would be more than glad to do so to help you out should you desire. With Cerebro and proper counseling, I can help you and Lina more than you can ever receive from the Joes and the Misfits." Lina immediately bristled at the hidden insinuation, feeling her antenna shooting straight up like steel rods with indignation while Justin was sweating from being under the gaze of so many people.

"I…uh…" Thankfully, Lina and Justin's communicators crackled to life, and though they were grateful for the interruption, the very words made their blood run cold.

"_Lina, Justin, get the X-Men out of here! **You're all in danger!**_" the Blind Master's voice rang out in dire urgency as the X-Mansion suddenly rocked from an explosion outside and the students could hear the unmistakable sounds of energy blasts and screams and hollers of a vicious fight outside.

"Dad?" gasped Justin. Cover Girl's voice then rang out.

"**_X-Men, Professor, get out of here! The mansion's under - !_**" but the transmission died, and Lina looked up fearfully at the X-Men as she leapt out of her seat.

"Something's wrong!" she cried out, but upon cue, the far wall of the dining room exploded in a firestorm of charred wood, plaster, metal, and glass. Jean immediately placed a telekinetic force-field around everyone, shielding as many people as she could while Piotr transformed into Colossus and deftly picked up the dining table (which happened to seat twenty people) and used it as a makeshift shield to block the whizzing, deadly projectiles.

"What the hell?" roared Logan as the dust settled, his claws coming out threateningly with a sharp, cold _snikt_, and then his eyes widened in horror upon realization as he exclaimed at the scent of strange pheromones, "Shit, Chuck! We're in trouble! Get these kids outta here! **_These guys aren't even human!_**"

"Hey, we may not be Earthlings, but us Female Furies take pride at not being men!" snapped a deep, woman's voice as the dust and plaster settled down, revealing to the mutant adults and teenagers their deadly foes. The X-Men could recognize Live Wire smirking at them, and Justin and Lina could see Big Barda, the woman who attacked them at the Bayville Carnival several days ago, but the rest were complete strangers. All of them were women wearing strange armor and wielding foreign but deadly weapons. One was a wild woman with black claws similar to Wolverine's and a skin-tight, beige suit and with a mane of busy, wild, green hair, but her glazed eyes were so wide, they could see the whites all around the glazed pupils of a psychopath. Next to her was a huge, hulking woman with a massive build of muscle, overly mammoth like a bodybuilder, and wearing a cowl and black shades along with a metallic red and yellow uniform and metal boots. A third woman with black, raven hair and cold blue eyes of a glacier had strips of metal wrapped all along her body and black, skintight uniform, and in her hands, the woman was wielding a long, pliable metal strip of steel like a whip. A short-haired woman with a hag-like face and her hair styled to look like devil-horns was wearing a robe of green and black and in her hands, she was wielding a wicked knife. Next to her was another girl, but dressed entirely in black from head to toe with absolutely no skin showing and her eyes hidden by black goggles and having a skull and crossbones logo imprinted on her chest. And Logan wasn't sure but there was something…familiar about the girl. And in the middle of a group of cybernetic hounds was another young, well-built teenage girl of supreme beauty, but in her hands, she held a wicked looking crossbow. And in the very front, her power truncheon still glowing from the energy discharge, was a very old woman with white hair.

"Hello, my dear little children…" Granny Harkness smiled wickedly as she leered upon the X-Men, her black toad-like lips so wide and triumphant, it was marring her sinister, wrinkled face.

**Author's notes: Sorry I was so late with this chapter, but I had so much to do at work, so I had some writer's block, but I managed to get it in on time for Friday, like I always try to! Next week, the Misfits, Joes, and X-Men fight the demonic Female Furies along with the arrival of Batgirl and Supergirl! But will they succeed in driving them off or shall the New Gods of Apokolips succeed in Phase recruit? And you will receive a big hint to what Darkseid is planning for the six chosen mutants? You will be surprised to see who exactly he is interested in, but until then, read and review! Constructive criticism welcome!**


	6. Blurry Sides

**Author's note: There seems to be some confusion with my universe as to why Big Barda is a part of the female Furies. The thing is, originally, Big Barda used to be a member of the Apokolips and the leader of the Female Furies herself. She wasn't a good guy until "Justice League Unlimited", but I already established that this takes place during "Justice League". Not even the Thanagarian invasion has happened yet, so as of now, Big Barda is still evil and still a Female Fury. Got it? Good! And now, enjoy this chapter of…**

**CHAPTER 6: Blurry Sides**

The Female Furies. Members of the New Gods of Apokolips. Alien humanoids raised under the brutal and masochistic treatment of the sadistic Granny "Goodness" Harkness in her special orphanage when they were girls, with the full intent of breaking and reshaping them into cold, steely, bloodthirsty killers, the pride and joy of Granny herself after years and years of training and conditioning. And in the metaphorical chess game, they were more than mere pawns, almost rooks, protecting Darkseid, their king and master by bulldozing the opposing side with unbelievable swiftness and finality.

Granny Harkness. A matron-figure who could be in all senses a twisted, inverted form of Mother Goose, her wrinkled face and deep, poisoned, bass voice doing little justice to the madness and depravity of her sick mind and black heart of brass. With her knowledge of the psyche and technology along with a morbid fascination of death and pain, Granny could give Magneto a run for his money in cruelty. And like most leaders, Granny was not foolish enough to leave herself vulnerable during battle…especially with her power truncheon at her side.

Big Barda. A robust, strapping woman with long, black hair as black as ebony and with the build and toned, muscular physique of a female body-builder. Along with her abilities of superhuman strength, speed, and endurance, Big Barda has fought and killed countless beings to work her way up to the leader of the Female Furies and was, not surprisingly, Granny's favorite and a possible candidate to be Darkseid's right-hand woman should Granny ever perish or be replaced. And with her Mega-Rod, she could fly and easily destroy an entire skyscraper with a fully-energized blast.

Lashina. Strategist and hand-to-hand combatant supreme. The flexible yet indestructible steel strips that were delicately and carefully wrapped around her torso, arms, and legs were not just for decoration; they were deadly weapons. And like most strategists, Lashina knew when to safely retreat and when to attack, her patterns of fight and flight as unpredictable and direct as the patterns of lightning. Lashina had no qualms about retreating and waiting for an opportunity nor did she have any second thoughts about attacking when one's back was turned. And not only could her steel lashes snap a person's neck as easily as an axe, but they also conducted painful streams of energy to anyone unfortunate enough to be caught in them.

Stompa. A girl who isn't afraid to crush anything or anyone in her path, and given her massive, hulking physique and build, she was in reality a female version on the Misfit, the Blob. Yet she was beyond mere bullying and domination; she loved the power she felt when she could bring down anything in her path, and her specialized Gun Boots were heavy and indestructible enough to kick, demolish, and destroy anything, almost quite possibly compressing matter down to mere molecules in seconds. She was heavy enough and powerful to pound even Superman to nothingness if she truly wished to.

Mad Harriet. If there was anyone who could ever match the insanity of the Joker, Batman's nemesis, this power-spike, claw-toting Female Fury would fit the bill perfectly. A better title for the green-haired and wild alien would have easily been "Queen of Psychos" for no matter what type of order Darkseid or Granny would give her, she would eagerly follow it as long there is the promise of pain and blood and gore and lots of it. And such bloodshed and death thrilled her. In fact, she worshiped the

Bernadeth. The sister of the traitorous Desaad, the simpering, cowardly right-hand of Darkseid himself, and she, though equally cunning and underhanded, was no weakling. She, like Lashina, was an excellent martial artist and could be a force to be reckoned with her knowledge of assassin training. Add the fact that she had red-colored eyes and actual fangs and a demonic-styled hairdo, Bernadeth was a fearsome hag that could have made the Wicked Witch of the West from _The Wizard of Oz_ look like a beauty queen for the Miss America Pageant. And thanks to a few surprises to her trusty Fahren knife, anyone unlucky enough to be stabbed by it would burn and be incinerated from the inside out.

Artemis. With flowing black hair, tanned skin and brown eyes like the purest earth, she could have easily been like the Greek Goddess, a resident of the Fourth Dimension of pure beauty and grace. Yet hidden deep inside was a pure, ruthless killer. Artemis was an expert markswoman and thanks to her bows and crossbow, she could use her arsenal of arrows and shafts, each with unique qualities. And she never left for battle without her trusty cyberhounds, each one genetically engineered by Desaad to be half-organic and half-bionic, their strengths and senses multiplied by ten-fold. And they especially loved fresh meat…

Of course, by now you know about Live Wire and her so called role in this whole fiasco, and her ability to absorb and manipulate electricity in its purest and strongest forms made her very formidable, indeed.

Which leaves the identity of the ambiguous eighth and final Female Fury donning the black uniform with skull and crossbones better left unsaid…for now.

But one thing was sure. This was **_not_** going to be an easy battle.

000-

"Furies, execute 'Phase: _Recruit_'," Granny simply said, and immediately, it was chaos.

The Professor, upon seeing so many enemies at once, tried to use his telepathy to knock all the hoods of Apokolips unconscious, but he was at a loss, almost tragically stuck, as he realized that he could not access their minds, almost being violently thrown out upon the second he tried to use his mind to ambush them. Frustrated, the Professor then sent a telepathic message to the X-Men as they tried their best to fight back, despite being in their civilian clothing.

_X-Men, I cannot access their minds! All of the Female Furies are telepathically shielded and as such, they were as prepared to attack us as H.A.T.E. was back at the carnivals! Do everything you can to drive them out, but be careful! We have no idea what they are here for, but do not take one of them by yourselves! X-Men, team up in groups of two or three each to take them down!_

Justin was having an absolute panic attack, freaking out like there was no tomorrow, as Lina then did the smart thing as she calmly and rationally as she possibly could turned on her wrist-communicator and contacted the emergency line to the Joes and Misfits' radio-transmission and using the procedure Spirit and Low Light taught her in case of dire emergencies.

"Wavedancer, General Hawk! **_Code Red!_** The Female Furies are attacking the X-Mansion! Repeat, the X-Mansion is under attack by the Furies! Code Red! **Repeat, Code Red!**"

"I've had enough of this! **_GET OUT, SPAWNS OF MAENADS!_** You are not welcome here amongst our students and our home!" Ororo screamed in outrage and vehemence, the sight of the soldiers from Apokolips trying to endanger her children sending her to new levels of pure vehemence. Before she could even think second thoughts, the weather-manipulating mutant immediately summoned a gigantic typhoon, cold and dancing with frost, to rain down upon the eight Female Furies. Storm then increased the cold as she pelted the aliens with hail, but Artemis then shot an arrow from her crossbow, nailing Ororo in the shoulder. In torment, Ororo toppled and fell to the ground, stopping the winds immediately, horrifically injured and whimpering and sobbing with an arrow deeply embedded into her upper body, making it extremely excruciating to even move.

"You're coming with us, weather-witch!" Big Barda said, but Cannonball was quicker.

"You leave Miz Ororo alone, you flea-ridden vixen!" the lanky, blond-haired teenager snarled and Big Barda found herself rammed back upon the force of the impact of Sam shooting directly at her with his powers, sending her flying against the wall. Yet to his horror, Big Barda picked herself from her sprawled position against the wall before she flew directly at Cannonball and sent the mutant flying with a single punch. Granny was about to blast some of the New Mutants before a hex-bolt sent the mother-figure of the Furies flying. Roberto looked up to see Wavedancer and the other Misfits and the Joes, all of them fully in uniform, standing in the hole of the dining room.

"The Misfits are here!" he cheered.

"Thought you guys could use some help! **Yo Joe!**" Althea yelled.

"**Yo Joe!**" yelled the Misfits and Joes, and immediately, they all rushed in into the fray. Artemis tried to shoot some more arrows at the new reinforcements, but Blob immediately got in their path and blocked them, the pointed shafts bounding off his impervious skin.

Jean then picked up Big Barda with her telekinesis and threw her against the wall again, causing her to smash completely through the building's structure. Snarling, Mad Harriet then rushed at her with her claws outstretched, but undaunted, Jean put up a telekinetic shield before she sent Mad Harriet flying against Granny, colliding against her mentor and sending them both tumbling into a heap.

"Uh, hello?" Jean said mockingly and in a condescending tone, "Telekinetic? Does _that_ term ring any bells with you Female Furies? No matter what you throw at me, I'll just deflect it right back at you!"

"Deflect this, loudmouth!" yelled Stompa roughly as she blitzed towards the X-Girl and punched the telekinetic force-field with all of her strength, and to Jean's horror, though the shield held on (barely), thanks to Newton's Laws of Motion, the force from the Fury's punch transferred directly to the girl and the shield she invoked, and as a result, **both** of them were sent flying at breakneck speeds. Jean crashed into the wall, blunt pain striking her head, back, and legs before she lost consciousness and fell to the ground.

Meanwhile, Kurt managed to teleport Forge into the control rooms underneath the Mansion grounds, and Forge immediately activated the indoor lasers, causing them to come out from their hidden compartments in the walls and started to blast the Furies, using their AI and automatic targeting systems. Undaunted, Granny and Mad Harriet attacked the lasers with ease thanks to the power claws and the power truncheon.

"Oh man, these chicks are trouble!" Forge exclaimed worriedly as he typed several furious commands on the computer console to bring up more lasers to blast the warriors of Apokolips, "They're wrecking the weapons-systems faster than I can bring them on-line!" Kurt, on the other hand, saw on the outdoor monitors, Blind Master and the rest of the Joes doing the guard shift were lying on the floor and badly injured. Cover Girl seemed the least hurt as she shakily propped herself up and knelt by Gabriel's side worriedly.

"Oh dear Father in Heaven, please let them all be all right!" Kurt prayed as he teleported outside next to Cover Girl. Cover Girl was a bit startled, but she pulled herself out of her stupor as she commanded to Nightcrawler.

"I'm going back into the Mansion! Get Justin and tell him to heal all the Joes' wounds quickly before they die from their injuries! Teleport Justin out of the Institute and have him heal all the Joes immediately! And both of you are not to leave their sides until they're all healed! Hurry! Blind Master and Quick Kick are the most serious!"

Kurt nodded as Courtney rushed into the battle. Within seconds, both he and Justin reappeared in a cloud of brimstone. Justin gasped with a hand over his mouth, but with a look of determination, he immediately rushed to his adoptive father's side and bathed him with healing light while Kurt tended to the other Joes as best as he could.

Meanwhile, Wanda was sent flying thanks to Big Barda's Mega Rod, and upon retaliation, Lance invoked his power to create several dirt clumps in the form of hands, terra-forming the dirt and earth from outside in the Mansion's gardens, before sending them to crash and pummel the Female Fury. Shipwreck joined in, firing his dual set of Eagle pistols as he kept sending a bombardment of armor-piercing bullets into Big Barda. Now angered, Stompa raised her foot before she brought it crashing down on the floor, and thanks to her Gun Boots, the response was instantaneous. The X-Mansion started to quake, the floor collapsing like wet paper and revealing a gaping chasm that was so deep, it crumpled the foundation below the floor directly to the underground tunnels the Professor had built a quarter-mile underneath the building. And thanks to the earthquake, the Professor, losing his balance, toppled out of his wheelchair as he plunged into the hole. Yet to his surprised relief, he was stopped short of his fall as Blob grabbed the adult by his jacket, saving him from a painful fall, though Blob himself was hanging on barely by grabbing onto the end of a metal I-beam.

"I got ya', Professor X!" yelled Blob, his voice hoarse as beads of sweat started to form on his brow, realizing he was truly stuck.

And the tremor Stompa caused also caused a portion of the ceiling above Storm to collapse, ready to crush Ororo underneath the rubble. Stunned and touching on her fears of claustrophobia, all the African mutant could do was lay there, stunned and scared out of her wits and helpless. Shipwreck immediately dashed before the roof fell.

"Stormy, get down!" he hollered as he shielded the injured and terrified mutant with his body before the both of them were buried under a landslide of wood, plaster, and stone.

"Dad!" screamed Althea before she rushed towards Stompa, "You're gonna pay for that, you fat ape!" Yet to her dread, Lashina caught Althea with one of her steel lashes, wrapping it around the adolescent's waist before shocking her with discharges of energy originating from the metal weapon.

"AAAAAAAAA!" hollered Althea in pain. Lashina smiled wickedly.

"If you surrender, girl, I'll make it easier for you, you army-twit? Whaddya say? Any questions before you come quietly?"

"Just one: which hospital you want me to send the flowers to?" snarled Wavedancer as she let Lashina have it directly with a good, flying hitch-kick to the face, and roaring, Lashina loosened her hold on her steel lash as she held her split and bleeding chin with one hand. With the whip going slack around Wavedancer's torso, the black-and-blue haired hydrokinetic managed to deliver a swift jab into the Fury's face before she besieged her female opponent with a fast and furious combination of punches and kicks. Yet Live Wire then blasted Althea with a powerful electrical attack, causing her to know nothing else as she blacked out.

At the same time, Mad Harriet was destroying the lasers Forge was activating with ease, despite the number or the power intensity of the beams.

"Hah! This is mere child's play, dearies!" Then a quick blur of silver tripped her and furious, Mad Harriet turned to see the white-haired Misfit, Quicksilver.

"Appropriate considering you probably have the intelligence of a child. And you really need to do something about that hair, girl! Green is so out of fashion unless you wanted to give the Joker a run for the boob prize! And wow, you could really use a good wash with Clearasil! I've seen smoother skin on the surface of the moon, and ever heard of something called dental floss?"

"You dare mock me?" growled Mad Harriet. Quicksilver grinned madly; this was too good of a chance to pass up. As if on cue to see how far she could snap, Pietro zoomed out of the room and then back again in a spilt second wearing (unbelievably) a wild green wig and a skin-tight beige uniform exactly like his female opponent was wearing. Mad Harriet's eyes bulged with surprise…and insulted outrage. Was he making fun of her?

"You dare mock me?" repeated Pietro in a whining, high-pitched sort of voice.

He **_was _**making fun of her…and copying everything she said.

"Hey!" Mad Harriet exclaimed, growling, ready to pummel and disembowel the mutant Misfit.

"Hey!" Pietro repeated, adding the feminine hands on the waist look at a finishing touch, close to guffawing.

"Cut that out!" Mad Harriet snapped, now getting angry.

"Cut that out!" Pietro sneered.

"Why you little - !" snarled the Female Fury as she tried to slice Pietro with her claws, but the white-haired teenager simply dashed out of range with his speed while still copying everything the Female Fury did, complete with an overblown, over-exaggerated limp right hook.

"Why you little - !" Pietro whined in a girly voice.

"Will you shut up!" screamed Mad Harriet, now started to lose it fully as her swings got more and more wild.

"Will you shut up!"

"STOP IT!"

"STOP IT!"

"**_Aaaarrrrgggggghhhh!_**"

"**_Aaaarrrrgggggghhhh!_**"

Then Pietro wiggled his eyebrows tauntingly at the war-painted face of the Female Fury before drawling, "Annoying, aren't I?"

"Stand still and die, you little upstart! **And take off that wig!**" screeched Mad Harriet as she kept trying to impale Quicksilver with her power spikes on her hands as the teenage Misfit dodged her attacks.

Meanwhile, Blob and the Professor could see that the I-Beam they were holding on to was starting to give away, groaning and giving in to the large weight.

"Oh crud," moaned Fred softly to himself as the metal beam at last broke off and sent Blob and Professor Xavier screaming as they hurtled down several stories towards the lower levels towards the metallic catacombs running underneath the X-Mansion as a sanctuary haven. Thinking fast and how multiple times he was taught over and over in the dojo at the Pit by Roadblock and Spirit, Fred managed to do a very noble thing as he roughly grabbed Charles Xavier around his waist and put himself between the X-Men's leader and the floor.

**_WHAM!_**

The floor all around the Blob and Professor Xavier had actually crumpled up and risen around them like the upright petals of a wildflower, but thankfully, the metal floor of the secret passageways of the X-Mansion held firm and managed to stop Blob from crashing through the ground. The Professor blinked several times, trying to regain his bearings, before he shakily managed to prop himself up amongst the cushiony folds of Fred's fat stomach. He wasn't hurt in the slightest, not even a bruise.

"My word," the Professor managed to marvel as he smiled, "That was a soft and extremely comfortable landing."

"Easy for _you_ to say, Professor. **_Ow_**…" groaned Blob as he was still lying after crashing to the reinforced metal floor with the Professor still lying on top of his bulging stomach. The Professor managed to smile grimly as Blob picked himself off the ground and started carrying the Professor in his arms while trying to rush back up towards the battle as fast as he possibly could.

"My thanks to you, Fredrick," Xavier said. Fred grinned back wordlessly.

Meanwhile, back upstairs…

"Augh! Get them off! **Get them off me!**" hollered Avalanche in panic as he was besieged by two of Artemis' cyberhounds, Secondus and Teritus, trying his best to fight them off, now completely distracted and inundated as the two heavy dogs pinned him to the ground. With him so distracted, the earthquakes and the Secondus then sank his jowls into Lance's shoulder, drawing blood immediately as he tried to rip of good chunk of his shoulder off while Teritus was doing his best to reach towards Avalanche's throat in order to rip it our, with Lance using every bit of his strength to stop the dog from killing him, though he was weakening as the fangs sunk closer and closer. There was a shriek of rage as Shadowcat leapt into the fray, forgetting her own safety.

"**_GET AWAY FROM HIM!_**" she screamed as loudly as she could for a battle cry as she phased directly into the body of Teritus, and there was a snarl of pain followed by a howl of agony before the cyberhound started smoking, his ruby eyes burning out, as the animal's body toppled over to the floor, dead and short-circuited thanks to Shadowcat. Upon seeing its brother dead, Secondus barked madly, froth gleaming on its teeth, ready to avenge blood for blood. But Shadowcat was now enraged even more. With a snarl like a cat, she punched directly into the chest of the cyberhound as it leapt onto her, phasing her body at the drop of a hat, and upon contact, Secondus met the same fate as its fellow comrade, dead before it even hit the floor.

Kitty then looked at Lance with tears in her eyes. Lance returned the look of relief.

"Lance…" she whimpered, but then Avalanche jumped up and grabbed the surprised Kitty before shielding her with his body.

"Shadowcat, look ou-…AAAAAAUUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHH!" Avalanche screamed before he toppled over to the floor, unconscious, an electrical-paralysis arrow protruding out of his exposed shoulder. Shadowcat looked up to see Artemis aiming another deadly shaft with her crossbow directly at Kitty's heart.

"My hounds!" Artemis snarled with malice, "You killed Secondus and Teritus! You'll pay for that with your life, you Earthling bitch!"

"Not likely!" snapped Lina as she zoomed by the crossbow, her powerful wings beating so fast, they were a blur, and before the Fury could pull the trigger, the alien female was stunned to see that her weapon was neatly and cleanly severed off, useless. When Lina flew by, her wings sliced through the weapon in order to leave Artemis exposed, and now that she was taken aback, Lina then hovered in the air a little off the ground before she then started to hammer her heels repeatedly on Artemis' head, trying to kick her multiple times in the face. Gasping, Artemis blocked the kicks while backing off, but Lina managed to follow the God of Apokolips, still hovering in the air while relentlessly attacking the Female Fury.

"This is for trying to shoot Fred with your arrows, you dog-woman!" Dragonfly snarled as she let loose a powerful roundhouse kick to Artemis' elbow, but now having enough, Artemis somersaulted backwards before throwing several daggers directly at the insect-girl…only to have them fall uselessly to the ground, all of them encased in a heavy block of ice. Bobby was quivering with anger as his hand glowed an artic blue.

The brown-haired teenager glared at Artemis as he made several large, sharp icicles in the air from nowhere, growling, "Nice shot, you Robin Hood knock-off! Now let **me** show you how to score a real bullseye!"

With that, he let loose the barrage of icy spears, with Artemis trying her best to dodge the deadly shrapnel as Lina then tried to also add on to the attack by spitting globs and globs of sticky silk upon Artemis, trying to blind her.

Meanwhile, Daria, Quinn, and Brittany were teaming up as one, holding hands and hovering in the air as they kept trying to shock Stompa with their psychic lightning, their eyes completely white and pupil-less as they hurled bolt after bolt of the searing energy directly upon the heavy, violent woman. Stompa fought the urge to scream as strike after strike ravaged through her mind. By the Dark Lord, even with the precautions against the mutants' telepathic skills thanks to Desaad's genius, these girls certainly did the unexpected, and considering that they didn't even fight or use their powers at the carnival, this was a completely new and unexpected attack. Stompa then tried to create another cave-in with her Gun Boots, but Multiple was quicker.

"**_BANZAI!_**" yelled Jamie as he and twenty other clones tackled the big alien woman and latched on tightly to her arms, neck, and legs, doing everything they could to stop the Female Fury from bringing down the whole mansion, all the meanwhile punching and kicking and doing everything they could to inundate and incapacitate her. Yet with a roar, Stompa then managed to throw off a random clone off her, and the real Jamie screamed before he crashed into the TV set and entertainment system, his body splintering the glass and wood upon impact before he sank to unconsciousness. And now that the original Jamie was down for the count, the other clones vanished into thin air. Trinity was screaming in unison out of sheer outrage at seeing Multiple injured horrifically.

"You'll pay for that, you fat cow!" Daria, Brittany, and Quinn hollered, now insane with ire. Stompa smiled as she got ready to hit the ground with her foot raised high above her knee level.

"And what are you three Cabbage Patch Kids going to do?" sneered Stompa, "Give me a spanking?"

"**That's right! And here's the paddle!**" yelled a voice above, and Stompa looked up, diverted at the battle cry, as she saw to her horror, a familiar blond haired girl flying out of nowhere and rushing directly at the Female Fury with a clenched fist. And before Stompa could even flinch, Supergirl's fist met the Fury's chin with a fabulous uppercut, sending the heavy alien in a graceful arc upwards towards the sky.

**_CRASH!_**

Stompa flew back fifty feet or so, crashing through the walls of the X-Mansion and landing none too gently onto the front garden of the Institute. Dazed yet apoplectic, Stompa wiped the blood dribbling out of her mouth as she then recognized the familiar red, white, and blue costume along with the huge "S" on the girl's uniform, hovering in the air alongside Trinity and glaring.

"Supergirl!" Stompa snarled, "I'm gonna enjoy ripping that pretty, little head of yours off!"

"I take it she doesn't like you?" Quinn asked, half-amused, at their new friend.

"I've had a few run-ins with this pig-faced tank before," Kara said calmly as she cracked her knuckles, "Mind if I join in on the fun of pounding her flat?"

"The more, the merrier," Brittany said cheerfully before all four girls immediately assailed and assaulted the Fury together with numerous, stinging kicks and jabs. Stompa hollered in rage as she did her best to fight off the teenager alien and the eleven-year old ninjas-in-training.

At the same time inside the Institute, Scott and Rogue were doing their best to drive out Big Barda and Granny before there was a sudden shriek as Pietro dashed off from the neighboring room, hooting wildly.

"**_HE GAVE ME A WEDGIE! THAT ROTTEN, LITTLE HUMMINGBIRD JUST GAVE ME A WEDGIE! I'LL KILL HIM!_**" Mad Harriet screamed in the background.

"Woo hoo, woo hoo, woo hoo hoo hoo!" Pietro laughed, imitating Daffy Duck, as he dashed off with tantalizing slowness in an attempt to aggravate the alien female even further as the green haired Mad Harriet chased after Quicksilver with her claws, her glazed eyes now twitching and a puff of froth building at one corner of her clenched jaw.

"**_I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL YOU! NO ONE DARES GOOSES THE QUEEN OF PSYCHOS AND GETS AWAY WITH IT! WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU, YOU LITTLE, PINT-SIZED, ALBINO TWERP, YOU'RE DEAD! YOU HEAR ME! DEAD!_**"

"Well, Queen of Psychos, you've just met the King of Nutcases," Rogue muttered, rolling her eyes as she flung the coffee table directly at Big Barda's head.

"Strangely enough, I can't argue that," agreed Scott with a funny look on his face.

Logan, on the other hand, was not exactly having fun himself. For the entire time after he helped free Colossus from Lashina's whips, he was immediately targeted by the unknown, enigmatic girl wearing black and bearing the badge of the skull and crossbones. For the entire battle, Wolverine did his best to drive the Female Fury out as he did every martial art tactic, judo move, and military training procedure he could remember to take her down, his feral, animalistic instinct rising dangerously, but to his surprise, the girl avoided every move with fluid, deadly grace while returning the favor with powerful hits of her own. Damn, she was strong. She even drew blood several times while Logan had yet to deliver the first noticeable injury on his assailant. Then spotting an opening, he ducked the flying roundhouse punch-kick combination, seeing her right side exposed, and with a snarl, Logan rushed by with his claws.

_Slash!_

The Female Fury didn't scream, didn't even whimper, as she fell to one knees while holding her bleeding right side-abdominal, now exposed with three horrific lacerations, all of them deep and serious, as Logan then swiveled around for another strike.

"Ready for another round, darling?" he snarled, his eyes glazed with blood-thirst, before Logan's sharp nose then picked up the girl's scent and his eyes widened in horror. Dear God, it couldn't be…

"**You!**" he exclaimed, in pure shock and stunned beyond belief and comprehension, not sure how to take this. The girl didn't answer as she readied herself, but Live Wire came to the rescue as she zapped Logan with every bit of power she had behind his back. Logan howled in anguish and suffering in the levels of infinity, and that gave the skull-and-crossbones girl the chance she was waiting for as she delivered a left cross directly into Logan's head as hard as she could, causing his skull to crack back.

Logan toppled to the floor, blackened, smoking, and bleeding, but unconscious and still alive and breathing weakly despite the deadly ambush. Live Wire smirked at the strange, young Female Fury.

"You gotta learn to watch your back, kid," she sneered in a condescending manner. The other girl just snarled as she hefted the heavy body of Wolverine over her shoulder, surprising those all around with the amount of strength she was capable off despite her smaller and thinner frame.

In the interim, Bernadeth was trying to stab Cover Girl and Razor with her knife now magically transformed into a Fahren sword, and with such a sharp and deadly weapon, both the kat and the G.I. Joe were trying to find a way to tackle her without being stabbed, but luck was now on their side. There was a sudden blur as something small and disc-like flew by.

_Clang!_

Bernadeth was outraged to see her sword was now knocked out of her hands and pinned securely against the wall, embedded into the surface thanks to a yellow and black Batarang fastening it deep into the wooden wall, making it quite stuck.

"My sword! How dare you desecrate my holy weapon!" hissed Bernadeth as she readied herself in a combative, self-defensive pose, and this gave the chance for Batgirl to spring out of the shadows and to knock back the Female Fury with a flying forward kick.

"**Now, you two! Help me take her down!**" Batgirl yelled as she started to attack Bernadeth. Despite not knowing the black and yellow costumed vigilante, Cover Girl and Razor knew the red-haired girl couldn't handle this by herself and that she was attacking their enemy, and shooting each other a look, Jake and Courtney nodded in unison, agreeing silently. Bernadeth now truly was in a bind as she kept trying to block the three-pronged attack by Razor, Batgirl, and Cover Girl all at once. One opponent was easy enough, especially with her Fahren knife at her side, but now the battleground had changed, especially with her weaponless and fighting an X-Man, a vigilante, and a Joe at the same time. Batgirl snarled as she did a side-kick to Bernadeth's face which made the alien stumble back, and Cover Girl swiftly moved in with an elbow jab followed by a backhanded fist and left hook. Taking the first punch, Bernadeth blocked the second hit and tried to deliver her knee into Cover Girl's stomach, but the female Earthling simply smirked and strafed to the right, avoiding the foot by several inches. And that allowed Jake to deliver his foot into Bernadeth's side, his clawed toes scratching deep. Bernadeth shrieked in rage as she let go of Cover Girl's arm which allowed Cover Girl to deliver** her** knee into Bernadeth's stomach. Stumbling back, Bernadeth doubled over which allowed Jake to deliver a downwards hammer-punch on top of the Female Fury's head which was followed by a high-kick by Batgirl directly into the alien's face. Bernadeth screamed with murderous rage as she was knocked backwards, her face now smeared with blood before Jake knelt into an automatic sniper's position and aimed his glovatrix directly at his opponent.

"Bola missile…AWAY!" the kat roared, and upon an instant, the Female Fury was tied up with several cords of metal wire as the missile wrapped and encircled around her waist like a lasso, pinning her arms to her sides. This allowed Batgirl and Cover Girl to leap into the air and deliver two simultaneous kicks into the soldier's chest, knocking her down.

Seeing enough, Granny aimed her power truncheon high in the sky at full power, knocking all the Joes, the X-Men and the Misfits back, sending them flying off their feet by the energy discharge. All of the heroes were stunned and disoriented which made it the perfect time to flee.

"**_Retreat my dears! We have five of the six! We shall return!_**" Granny commanded, and upon the order, all of the Furies (with Big Barda grabbing Bernadeth to safety) escaped through the Boom Tube Big Barda summoned. All was silent as a grave. The Female Furies had left as swiftly as they came. The X-Men and Misfits were furious as the Joes helped try to take account with Fred still holding Professor Xavier in his arms. Shipwreck was trying his best to allow Ororo to lean on him as he helped her extract herself from the rubble. Kitty then gasped in worry.

"Lance! Professor, Lance is gone! He's missing! **I can't find him anywhere!**" Spirit looked immediately concerned while Piotr was bitter, almost scandalized at Kitty's concern. It was apparent he was not happy. The Professor closed his eyes as he sensed for the familiar thought-pattern before his eyes widened in alarm.

"He's not on the grounds, Kitty. He has vanished! And so have Logan, Jean, and Wanda!"

"No!" exclaimed Pietro in horror.

"Althea's missing too! Those witches took her!" snarled Shipwreck, at a loss and baring his teeth.

"And we can't find her! We can't track her signal of her communicator with the Mass Device, Dad! She's out of range!" Quinn said worriedly, looking close to crying.

"The Furies," murmured Supergirl, "They must have taken your friends to Apokolips in the Fourth Dimension. They're now on another planet." It was then that the Joes, X-Men, and Misfits noticed the new strangers and were immediately suspicious, but General Hawk raised a hand as he emerged from the outside area where Justin and Kurt were tending to the Joes.

"Hold it, everyone. They're not our enemies. In fact, these two are part of the Justice League, albeit indirectly," he stated, easing the tension.

"Who are you?" Professor Xavier asked, frowning at the two mysterious helpers.

"I'm Batgirl and this is Supergirl," the red-haired masked bat-vigilante answered in a professional, brisk and calm tone despite so many humans and mutants ready to pounce on them, "We came to help you with Apokolips and the Furies…"

000-

Fire. Heat. Something red-hot and emanating powerful waves of intense, burning sensations all around her semiconscious body. It was somewhat like being placed on a cookie sheet inside a red-hot oven.

"Wanda? Wanda, can you hear me? Oh Wanda, wake up, please!" a girl's voice rang in the background, vexed and nearly desperate, making the Scarlet Witch's head throb even worse, and desperate to escape the migraine,

Wanda groaned as she managed to swim out of the sea of blurry grey to vivid color, "Nnnggghhhh…"

"So…was that even English?" Wanda could hear Lance's voice ask from a little bit off to her right, trying to be light and whimsical but failing miserably, concern and panic in his narrowed eyes.

"Alvers, do me a favor and shut up! It was not even funny!" the girl's voice snapped back, and now that she was more lucid, Wanda could make it out as the voice of…Jean?

"Hey, don't tell **me** to shut up, Red!" Lance could be heard as he snarled back, "Let's not forget you also have a tendency to not know when to keep your mouth shut like how you were when you told Kitty how she made the better choice by dumping me or saying I deserved to be locked in jail for killing my adoptive parents in self-defense!"

"Hate to tell you this, Alvers, but it isn't a crime to tell the truth!" Jean snapped sarcastically.

"**_Your_** version of the truth, if I might point out, Jean!"

"Avalanche?" murmured Wanda as she opened her eyes only to see her male Misfit teammate turning to face her. Avalanche was in his Misfit black and red uniform, but to Scarlet Witch's amazement, he was bound tightly by rings and rings of solidified purple, plasma energy, pinning his arms to his sides, and actually being levitated over a pit of…

"Yikes!" gasped Scarlet Witch as she saw that she and Lance were both hovering over a pit of fire, the flames actually bright orange and white, so hot it was starting to chafe her soles of her boots, and upon a second look, Wanda could see that she too was imprisoned by rings of energy and hovered over the bottomless fire well.

"Where are we?" Scarlet Witch cried out.

"We're on the planet Apokolips, Wanda. The Female Furies and their Granny kidnapped us and took us here after they attacked the X-Mansion," Jean said.

"You all right, Wanda? Nothing broken or anything?" Avalanche asked, concerned. Wanda had to admit she was touched by the fact that Lance seemed more concerned about others' safety over his own, especially when she saw the dried blood that formed a telltale stream from Lance's nostril and right temple along with a good portion of his uniform torn from his shoulder.

"No…I don't think so," Scarlet Witch replied as she tested flexing as many joints and limbs as she could think off, grateful nothing cracked or screamed at the effort, "but…ow! My side really hurts and for some reason, the left side of my face is numb."

She then saw Lance's face blanch slightly at this comment. That was not a good sign.

"How bad is it?" Wanda grimaced flatly.

There was a slight pause before Jean answered wearily, "I'll put it this way: be grateful you're alive and leave it at that."

Wanda turned to see that directly across from her was the red-haired X-Man, also incarcerated with the rings of energy, and immediately, the female goth could see Jean's foot which was badly broken, at a slightly odd angle and blood was dripping out from the fabric covering her toes, already soaked.

"Your foot!" exclaimed Wanda. Granted, she normally resented if not disliked Jean and her attitude, but this was serious, and considering that they well all being held prisoner over a flaming pit to Hell, they needed to get help and fast. Jean managed to give Wanda a very grim, weary smile.

"It actually doesn't feel that bad, actually," she tried to admit, "and I think the polymer-cloth covering my foot is slowing down the bleeding enough so that I can hold on longer than expected. And on the upside…"

At this, Jean gave a smug smile as she finished, "…you should have seen what I did to two of the Female Furies before that fat one subdued me."

Althea's voice then popped up with a touch of amused surprise, "Well what do you know? Little Miss Perfect Jean? Admitting she loved sticking a Fury or two and making a joke while not moaning and groaning how much these Apokolips creeps scarred her beautiful body? I'm in shock."

"I guess this is one of those times where we either laugh or we cry," Jean did her best to shakily smile although deep down, she wanted to sob. She was really scared at this point and being abducted by aliens who were possibly even more brutal and evil than Magneto and Cobra Commander was enough to make her quiver inside. Wanda turned to her left to see that Wavedancer and Wolverine were also incarcerated. Althea was a bit in bad shape, with her uniform ripped and second degree burns covering her body where Lashina's whips seared into her skin along with a swollen lip, and on the other extreme, Wolverine, not surprisingly considering his healing factor, was looking pretty much intact and unharmed.

"Wavedancer? Wolverine!" gasped Wanda, "You're here **_too_**!"

"Yeah, got knocked out thanks to Live Wire and that witch carrying the steel whips. I swear, when I get the slightest chance, I'm gonna punch those two tramps so hard, their faces are going to be permanently turned inside-out," Althea growled.

"I'll be glad to help you on that one, Althea," Logan said gruffly before he noticed that Althea had the faintest glimmer of tears in her eyes among her flushed, furious face and furrowed brow. Logan then guessed what she was so upset about.

"They'll be all right," Wolverine said as compassionately as he could, which was a foreign act for him really, "And your Dad knew what he was doing. He protected Storm from the Furies and fought like the best of us, and chances are, he's managed to scrape by that cave-in without anything serious. He's a fighter too, just like you, so I know he's made it out in one piece. Try not to worry about him and concentrate on trying to escape out of here during our crisis."

Wolverine then took charge as he turned to Jean and Lance as he said shortly, "Jean, Avalanche…you two regained consciousness before any of us. Did you happen to see if any other X-Men or Misfits were taken away along with us?"

Jean shook her head, partly in relief as she explained, "From what we can tell, it's just us five right now, and from what thought patterns I've managed to pick up, I guess that it's **_only_** us five that have been taken. Wherever the rest of the Joes and Misfits and X-Men are, they've probably most likely left alone and abandoned them when they retreated from the fight. From what I can tell, they were only interested in capturing us and making sure that they finished the phase called _Recruit_."

"And from what we can tell, **we're** the ones these Apokolips guys are after," Lance said in addition, "But we're not in deep water just yet! We overheard this Darkseid guy wasn't too pleased that he let one of the targeted mutants go free, considering me and Jean heard that he needed six mutants to execute this final phase. Whatever these Furies and Darkseid want with us, they can't do it until they get the last mutant for their plans."

"Any ideas who?" Althea asked. Jean gave her a broken look of worry.

"It's Storm. We're sure of it because we heard the helper named Desaad promise Darkseid he will get Kanto to get the weather-witch for his plans and to beg him to spare his life. Unless I'm mistaken, we don't know any other mutant who's a Misfit or an X-Man who can control the weather."

"So we're safe for now at least _for now_," Lance exhaled wearily, but he did not forget the emphasis on the shakiness of the last two words of his sentence.

"You mean until the Furies try to regroup and catch Storm again, and they're not gonna have any second thoughts about killing whoever stands in their way to get her," Logan muttered darkly before adding with a touch of remorse, "Not even **_her_**…"

Before Jean could ask about who Wolverine was referring to, Wanda then piped up, "They might actually have a better chance next time. Before I was knocked out, I saw two new people helping the Professor and the Joes fight the Furies fight alongside the X-Men and the Misfits! You're not going to believe this, but I saw Supergirl and Batgirl, in the flesh! They were at the Mansion helping us fight them! I think they found out about Live Wire joining Apokolips, so they must have done a little investigation which led them to us!"

"Batgirl? **Supergirl?**" exclaimed Wavedancer, "I've read about them in their files! They're good guys and despite not being as powerful and skilled as Batman and Superman, they could be a great help! And if we can't get the Justice League to help us right now, they'll be a great help right to the guys back home!"

"But we need help right now, Althea," Logan said curtly before turning to Jean and asking, "And chance you can use your powers to break us free? Any of you kids?"

Jean shook her head, saying, "I tried for the past fifteen minutes or so while you guys were out, and no matter how much I try, I can't use my telekinesis to get us out. Whatever these things are that are holding us, they're stronger than they look. I can't break them or even get them to budge in the slightest."

"And I'd doubt that earthquakes can help free us, not that it does much good anyway since I'm out of direct contact with the Earth…" and at this, Lance shivered.

"Lance, you OK?" Wanda asked. Lance nodded, but his psychometry with the Mother Earth was giving him the willies, literally.

"It's this planet," Lance explained with a somber tone, "I can't explain it, but…this whole place, this Apokolips…it's dead, empty. It feels like…like there's no spirit, no life, no heart of the world that keeps it alive like our planet Earth feels like. I guess that's another reason why I would be powerless here; there's no living earth and rock for me to use."

"And there's no water source for me anywhere, so I'm out," Althea said, realizing things were looking grim. Logan just kept silent; with his claws bound to his sides, he couldn't cut past the energy links holding him in place. Scarlet Witch then powered up slightly, blue wisps of chaos energy dancing between her fingers.

"Let me try a hex-bolt," she muttered, her face twisted in concentration, "If I can just blast it just right…" And with that, the black and red haired Misfit managed to hex the rings surrounding Wolverine, but unfortunately, it didn't quite have the effect in mind. The instant they struck the purple energy rings, their prisons all crackled with life before they let loose a furious and painful discharge of plasma, making it a very agonizing several seconds.

"**_AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!_**" Althea, Lance, Jean, and Wanda screamed as they were slightly electrocuted by the purple energy. Logan managed to hold it all in before the energy disappeared and they were all left, gasping in pain and slightly singed.

Logan barked, "What the hell do you think you were doing, kid! Were you trying to barbeque us!"

"I'm sorry, I thought I could get us out! It didn't work!" protested Wanda angrily and in slight embarrassment.

Then a cold, deep voice spoke from above, "Do not even attempt to try again, Scarlet Witch. The next time you do so, those rings could kill you…and I would want you mutants to still be alive for my plans."

They all looked up to see a figure standing at the edge of the fire-pit they were all imprisoned in, and even with the light shining behind the hulking behemoth, silhouetting his face in the shadows, the Misfits and X-Men could guess that this alien must be Darkseid, recognizing him from the various photo documentation Maggie Sawyer and Commissioner Gordon showed them. His red, pupil-less, fiendish eyes just glowed faintly with the fires of the Omega Effect as he watched the five, captive mutants. Unafraid, Wolverine struggled at his bonds, wishing he could just kill Darkseid right then and there, as he roared with as much anger as he could muster in his voice.

"**_WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER, DARKSEID! WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER!_**"

Jean, Lance and Wanda looked at Logan with puzzled, shocked faces. Who on Earth was Logan talking about? Althea had a look of suspicion cross her countenance as she started trying to think, having a slight inkling of how this related to the eighth and unknown member of the Female Furies…

Darkseid then gave a sick smile of contentment and appeasement as he stated emotionlessly, "She is one of the Furies now, Wolverine, and as long as the brainwashing from Granny Goodness remains, I shall find it best to keep her until she becomes expendable…which may be quite soon in the near future. After all, her main reason for her recruitment was because she is the only one would could possibly capture you and the rest of the chosen six mutants."

"What?" growled Logan, trying with all of his might he could break free from his restraints and pounce on the alien leader right then and there. The malicious megalomaniac gazed at each one of the five mutants with a sickening, morbidly interested smile of satisfaction before he turned around and gazed at a large elegant pedestal in his palace chambers. There, resting on top of the black stone and metal, was his pride and joy, the crystal he had received several months ago in turn for trading in the life of his worthless, adopted son, Kalibak to those power-hungry fools on Earth…

"It's quite simple: once we obtained that weather-witch, the X-Woman Earthling called Storm, I shall be able to use you six mutants to help me gain infinite power and limitless control over the terms of life and will itself…"

"Then you're out of your mind, you sick maniac!" spat Lance, "There's no way in hell we'd ever help **you**! Once our pals and the Joes find us, they'll pound you and the Furies into the ground for screwing around with us like this!"

Darkseid didn't even turn around to face the geokinetic as continued to caresses the galactic treasure in front of him with his eyes, visions of unlimited power and the fate of all life in every universe created in the power of his hands.

"I highly doubt it, you young fool," Darkseid said as he lovingly gazed upon the M'Krann crystal in the room, "I highly doubt it…"

**Author's note: Well, well…quite an interesting development, won't you say? Check back next Friday when tensions rise as the X-Men and Misfits and Joes argue and take separate paths while Batgirl and Supergirl also get caught in the crossfire of the split. Yet as the investigation goes further and further, the X-Men and Misfits will soon realize that all their paths will meet eventually as things take another turn for the worse…**

**X-Men, Misfits, and Joes: AGAIN? How many times are you going to put us through this torture?**

**Oh be quiet! Check back next Friday for the chapter "Difference Of Opinions", and until then, read and review! Constructive criticism welcome!**


	7. Difference Of Opinions

**CHAPTER 7: Difference Of Opinions**

Meanwhile, back at the X-Mansion, things were getting a little tense…

"I certainly hope you're happy!" snapped Professor Xavier at General Hawk in the living room, or at least what remained of it after the Furies had attacked. All the Joes and the wounded mutants had been healed thankfully by Justin, but the emotional loss and worry and tragedy of seeing their loved ones taken away by the Apokoliptic warmongers couldn't be healed in any manner…except by lashing out in contested blame and anger.

General Hawk said in a very hard voice, laced with brimming disbelief, "**Excuse me?** You're actually _blaming_ me for this?"

"Well it certainly isn't by any fault of ours!" Charles Xavier said concretely in a hoarse voice, letting one of the few times he actually lost his temper fully spring up, "Even despite your briefings and generous offer of trying to protect us, you let Darkseid and his minions capture two of my X-Men! This is exactly why I didn't want you or Maggie Sawyer or Commissioner Gordon to be involved in the affairs and safety of my staff and students! This was exactly what happened when I tried trusting you and G.I. Joe to pose as substitutes at Bayville High along with training the X-Men back at the Pit before Cobra and Magneto kidnapped several of my students! Every time the X-Men try turning to G.I. Joe, you and your soldiers end up falling short and the X-Men get the short end of the stick!"

"If memory serves me, you weren't **_that_** against the idea of both of our teams trying to help each other out during this crisis! And we have as much right to be worried about the abduction as you, Xavier! Wavedancer, Avalanche, and Scarlet Witch are missing as well, so don't think for a damn minute on your high horse that you're the sole victim in this entire debacle!" Hawk growled.

"If you spent more time trying to get someone competent like the Justice League instead of trying to handle the situation with your so-called trusted friends, this debacle wouldn't even have happened in the first place!" snapped Xavier.

"And maybe if you were more concerned about trying to cooperate with us instead of leaving all the matters of dealing with the outside threats like H.A.T.E. and just lollygagging with plans on trying to coerce our new recruits to turn against us, you _would_ have been better prepared!"

"That is absolute rubbish, General!" snapped Hank.

"Oh, as if, Beast!" Cover Girl snapped, "We're not exactly stupid, you know, and Shipwreck and Blind Master managed to use Polly to eavesdrop on the Professor's commentary to Lina and Justin during dinner! You remember, don't you, Professor? Especially the offer you made to Justin to help him with his powers since it would be more than the Joes could ever do for him!"

"That was a private matter!" Scott snapped, "But gee, no surprise that you didn't exactly trust us like we did with Jake when he went to go visit you Misfits at the Pit!"

"Um…is it always like this between both of your groups?" Batgirl asked as she eyed the quarreling row uneasily, "The files I've read about the both of you did note some rough edges, but this is just rough, **_period_**."

"Actually, you should try coming over here when we actually fight, yo," replied Toad, though a bit downhearted and secretly flustered at the thought of Althea being held captive.

While the majority of the adults and some of the X-Men continued bickering alongside General Hawk and Charles Xavier, the remaining X-Men and Misfits were trying to make some sense of the whole battle with the Female Furies along with Batgirl and Supergirl, although not without some nervousness and misgivings.

Piotr then turned to Batgirl, hoping she could provide some answers, as he asked, "Batgirl, is there any way we can follow the Female Furies? Somehow track them down and go to Apokolips directly from here?"

Batgirl shook her head as she explained, "No, not even the Justice League have access to the boom-tube technology that can create paths directly into Apokolips and the Fourth Dimension itself. And without those remotes that the Furies and soldiers of Darkseid carry on their persons, it'll be impossible to find another way to their planet. The Fourth Dimension is supposed to be a vast field of space and time, different from our Third Dimension, and with such a big area, it'll take us eons to even have an idea of where to look and not to mention light years to even travel there by other means. And even if there was a way to get to Apokolips from Earth, neither Supergirl nor I have any idea where it could be."

At the same time, most of the Misfits and X-Men were taking the abduction hard. Unlike the times when Magneto and Cobra had kidnapped their teammates, during those situations, they at least had an idea or some sort of lead to guide them to their targeted destinations. Yet not even Supergirl and Batgirl knew where Apokolips resided, and without a boom-tube, their search would be fruitless. Todd and Xi were flustered. Jake was nervously rubbing his glovatrix with one paw, looking glum; he grew to care a lot about Jean ever since she got through to him despite his grief when he nearly got killed by Dark Kat back at Megakat City. Pietro was sitting in a frozen position, his hands clenched into fists, not even speaking as he gazed into space with a glazed look in his eyes; he was taking Wanda's abduction the hardest of all. He was going to personally make sure the Furies would regret the day they took his sister. Now, it was personal. Kitty was crying softly, and though Piotr was massaging her shoulders as a claming gesture, there was a resentful look in his eye that said somewhere along the lines of being jealous for Kitty's open concern and worry for Lance even though she was supposedly "over him". That feeling of hopelessness and despair was starting to affect everyone in the room, so it was natural that things would be a bit strained.

Alas, Supergirl was oblivious to this as she then tried to comfort a distraught Sam, who was standing next to her, by placing a gloved hand on his shoulder saying, "We understand that you guys are upset and we know what you're going through - "

Sam then whirled on Supergirl, angry tears running down his flushed cheeks, snapping and not letting the female hero finish her sentence, "Don't touch me, greenhorn! You don't know **_anything_** about how we feel! We nearly lost our lives trying to fight those Furies, and you don't know how much it's eating us up! We might never see them again, never see Jean or Mr. Logan again when they endure God knows what by whatever that jerk Darkseid's planning! They're gonna **die** up there! No need to sugarcoat it for us! We're not stupid! And this all happened because your stupid Justice League couldn't take a damn minute of their so-called important schedules to help us! God, even Sawyer and Commissioner Gordon knew of this, and it's been a week, and yet your so-called noble cousin, Superman, couldn't even bother to show his face around here and help us even though he was given enough notice for the cows to come home several goddamn times!"

Tabitha started weeping in the background while she was hearing this, Amara hugged Roberto, at a loss, and Ray just stared down at his feet on the ground, making his hand into a fist while resting on the wall.

Supergirl was a bit flummoxed; put it that simply, it was a bit explicable, and she shouldn't have said that she knew what the X-Men were going through. The blond alien then tried again to calm down the seething teenagers.

"Even still, we'll find a way and the Justice League will help you out when they get back…I know it."

Scott then lost it fully, distraught at Jean missing, as he then accused maliciously, "Yeah right, it's probably better if they didn't show up, Supergirl! After all, Superman will probably gift-wrap Storm up himself and offer her as a present to Darkseid himself! If anything, having Superman here would make things worse for us, especially since he's probably trying to take over this planet with the other deranged residents of the Fourth World!"

Supergirl's eyes went wide and crinkled with shock and disbelief, taken aback.

"What? No! Superman's not like that! How could you say such a thing!"

"Oh really?" snorted Scott, his teeth grit, "I'm aware of the little incident when Superman joined up with Apokolips several years ago and led the siege against Metropolis as Darkseid's main commander! Yeah, I'm sure you remember **that** Supergirl. After all, from what Forge and Kitty were able to find from their information gathering and web-surfing, that was the battle where you nearly lost your own life when Superman tried to kill **you** for getting in his path!"

"That was not his fault!" Supergirl yelled hotly, "He was brainwashed and couldn't help himself when he joined with Apokolips! Superman wasn't himself when he defected! And _that_ was in the past! He's still a good guy, a hero like he always was! One past mistake doesn't change that!"

"So **you **claim," Scott said coldly as he returned the glare of accusation.

It took all of Kara's willpower to not punch the mutant directly in the face and break that smart-assed tone of voice and ruby shades of his.

Rogue then spat, her voice teary and strangled, "Scott's got a point, Supergirl! And to tell you the truth, maybe H.A.T.E. doesn't exactly have the wrong idea either if they say that you really can't depend on the Justice League or any alien! If anything, you extraterrestrials just add on to our problems!"

"Hey, back off, Rogue!" Blob yelled.

"You back off, _homme_!" snarled Remy in return, "If anything, this planet would be better off without these aliens since they're not even welcome here anyway!"

"You lame-brain hypocrite! How dare you say that! You outta' all people should be the last one to say that considering you're mutants! Like Granny always said, '_don't go complaining about weasels in your neighbors' basement when you've got coons in your attic'_!" **(See Author's notes)**

"Remy don't give a flying pig's rear about what your dumb _grandmere_ says, Blob!" the Cajun X-Man shot back, a bit aloof.

"Why you little, smart-mouthed, rat-skinned - !" snarled Blob as he was about to reach over and strangle Remy, and Lina had to stop and calm the large Texan by getting in his path before he could charge.

Spirit then spoke to the elders during a pause in the heated debate, giving a meaningful glance to Ororo, "It may not be as hopeless as we think. Keep in mind, the Female Furies were sent here by Darkseid to capture six mutants, remember? Granny Goodness herself said that they would be back and that they already had five of the six."

"Oh yeah, he's right, Ms. Monroe!" Roberto gasped as it dawned on him, "I remember that big chick with the glowing rod said that you were coming with them, and if Sam didn't stop her by ramming the Fury against the wall, then they would have taken you along with Jean and Logan!"

"Wait, how can you even be sure it is me to begin with? How can you even be certain that I'm one of the targets for Darkseid as well?" Ororo asked in a clipped, angry tone, outraged that the G.I. Joe soldiers were being so calm and collected about this.

General Hawk then stated, "It makes sense, it fits the pattern. Jean Grey, Lance, Wanda, Logan, and Althea. All of them are mutants with abilities of incredible potential, capable of doing massive damage and almost in terms of god-like proportions, and you are also one of the mutants that fits this profile. Whatever Darkseid wants for Phase _Recruit_, he seems to only want powerful mutants from both of our groups. You fit the bill exactly, Storm. After all, with your weather manipulation, you could literally bring forth a Second Ice Age if you truly put your mind to it."

"Forgive us if we don't exactly have a lot of faith in your guesswork, Hawk," drawled Forge in a bitter tone.

"Maybe we can use Storm as bait then, yo," Toad said without thought.

Xi admitted then, "I agree. If Storm is one of the six mutants they wanted, then the Furies will obviously be back for her and take her away to where Althea and the others are being kept. And if they come here, we can use whatever technology they have to follow the paths of those boom-tubes, and it shall most likely lead us to our friends."

Most, if not all the X-Men, were angered at the insincerity and nonchalance of gambling with Ororo's safety and life like some casual bargaining chip, but before any of them could retort, Shipwreck's voice cut through the two Misfits first, his voice unbelievably strong, vehement, and hard.

"No way in hell, you two," Shipwreck said in a simmering and serious voice, "Not a damn chance in hell. If we do this and get back Althea, Jean, and the rest, we're not gonna risk Stormy's life or anyone else's life for that matter. We're not going to sacrifice a person just on the slim chance that we can save everybody else. Either we all get out of this or we die trying. If anything, this just means we watch out for her even more."

Despite witnessing this outburst, the Professor and the adults (both the X-Men and the Joes) were beside themselves with disbelief, and Ororo didn't know what to think. Shipwreck was rarely so severe and stern…especially when it came to his puppy-dog lust for the weather-witch.

"So now what do we do? We don't even know **where** to start looking!" Cover Girl asked apprehensively, restless.

"Actually, we do, Courtney," General Hawk said surprisingly, "Ever since H.A.T.E. attacked you back at Bayville Commons, I had Montoya, Gordon, and Sawyer do a little research on Tonka along with analyzing their finances and their contacts over at their organization. Even despite the fact that they have several generous financial partners, it wouldn't have accounted for the research and technology that produced weapons and arms that not even S.T.A.R.R. labs, Lex-Corp and the American government could have created! And there has been no record of a Leonard Tonka anywhere in the National Registry until recently! My guess is that the battle you had with H.A.T.E. was a ruse, a sort of testing experiment, if you will, to see which mutants were the most profitable for the goals. It was no accident that the Furies knew exactly which mutants to kidnap, and my guess is, they were able to do so by spying and observing on that battle you had at the carnival."

"Wait a minute! You're saying H.A.T.E. is involved with Darkseid and the Apokolips?" exclaimed Forge in disbelief.

"Keep in mind, Forge, it's a hypothesis, but it makes sense to me and Sawyer and Gordon. It also explains why Trinity was unable to hack into H.A.T.E.'s computer mainframes and why Sawyer felt she had seen this kind of artillery before. It's because H.A.T.E. is using actual **_alien_** technology supplied from Apokolips, technology and armaments far advanced from any Earthling expertise. Sawyer said the designs of the energy scimitars and the plasma machete Spirit, Cover Girl, and the Blind Master stole from the splinter groups were similar in design to the weapons Darkseid's minions used to attack Metropolis years ago. This means that H.A.T.E. is using weapons from an alien world. So there is some sort of link, and from what Maggie and Commissioner Gordon had told me, this isn't the first time Darkseid has tried this. He had several of his servants back up Intergang in Metropolis in an attempt to destroy Earth and Superman from within."

"But…but it doesn't make sense, General Hawk!" protested Lina, frowning thoughtfully, "Why would an organization that is against aliens and extraterrestrials be using technology from other planets and galaxies?"

Blob then realized why as he said in a rush, "Actually, it **does** make sense Lina! It's the perfect cover! After all, what's the best way you can hide something? The last place anyone would ever look if they were searching for something? Besides a place you've already looked before?"

Jamie then guessed it. He blurted out, "The best way…is to put it in **_plain view_**, to make it look like you have nothing to hide in the first place! It's a way to throw off people! No one would ever suspect an anti-alien organization having ties to an alien world!"

"So if H.A.T.E. is using technology and weapons and guns from Apokolips…" Roberto said in dawning comprehension.

"…then we can use H.A.T.E. as a link to trace back to those Furies and find Jean, Wolverine and the other Misfits again!" Ray finished triumphantly.

"Then we'll let Commissioner Gordon and Maggie use their forces to search for anything helpful in Gotham City while we go to Metropolis. You X-Men stay here and just concentrate on keeping Storm and yourselves safe," Blind Master said.

"No, that isn't even an option, Blind Master!" snapped Batgirl, "The X-Men will be sitting ducks if they just stand here and make themselves targets again! The last place they should be is here where the Furies will obviously try to return! They should be out with us trying to do anything they can to get their friends back!"

"I agree with Batgirl!" growled Hank McCoy as he stood up to his full height, his fur bristling, "We already tried trusting the safety of the staff and students in your hands, and it has not gotten us anywhere! In fact, I daresay it has made things _worse_! Jean and Logan are being held hostage, we are no closer to ensuring that H.A.T.E. is going to let us be, and our only help that we have are members of the police departments from both Gotham City and Metropolis who have quite done nothing useful, quite frankly, along with two inexperienced female heroes who are hardly a match for eight Female Furies!"

"Hey, we're on your side! You should be grateful! We're not exactly obligated to help, but we came anyway because we **wanted to**! And just because the League isn't available doesn't mean that they wouldn't help you if they could! To tell you the truth, the Justice League doesn't even know me and Batgirl are even in Bayville! We're handling this because this is a crisis where we could do some good, and we're the best available candidates to handle the situation with you!" Supergirl snapped, overhearing this.

"Oh so instead of getting actual help, we have to settle for the consolation, second-hand help? I feel so much better now, Supergirl!" snapped Piotr. Supergirl was about ready to slap the raven-haired, muscular Russian for that condescending, sarcastic remark.

"Then it's settled," Scott said steely, "We'll go to the headquarters of H.A.T.E. in Gotham City."

General Hawk then crossed his arms over his chest as he declared just as unyielding, "No, we're going to the H.A.T.E. headquarters in **_Metropolis_**."

"You do what you want, but we shall go our own way, General," the Professor said in a mild tone, but it had red-hot steel honed inside, and on cue, most of the X-Men started to move towards Charles Xavier in full support. Most of the Misfits just glared back as they edged towards the group of Joes along with General Hawk. Some, astonishingly, were hesitant to choose a coalition.

"You guys. Don't do this. _Please_," Justin coaxed gently from the middle.

Yet Hank was starting to be a bit annoyed with the Misfit's naiveté as he said severely to the Blind Master, "Mr. Moore, I would highly suggest you tell Justin to be quiet and stop interrupting us in matters that he has no comprehension of understanding."

"Hank!" protested Jake from the background, but the Joe ninja master immediately became angered at the condescending tone Beast was using.

"**I** would highly advise you watch that tone of voice, Mr. McCoy," Blind Master muttered darkly, "I don't need you to tell me how to raise Justin or discipline him, and frankly, I support him being free to speak his mind since by all rights, we allow you to shoot off that big mouth of yours."

"If I recall correctly, Gabriel, you're not Justin's father and on that note, I'm surprised his family would even allow a man like you to be near him or a woman like Cover Girl around Lina as role models," Ororo said coldly. Pietro, Todd, and Xi immediately looked angry enough to start another screaming match (and Toad, despite knowing he'd get KP duty, wanted to slime her directly in the face).

"Hey, yo! That ain't cool!" Toad snapped.

"That was a low blow, Ororo!" Low Light growled, "And from the way we see it, your X-Men aren't exactly model perfect students yourselves!"

"At least the kids here aren't raised by a bunch of lunatics and drunks," Forge muttered, and Roadblock's eyes widened in insult before he grabbed Forge by the collar of his shirt and jerked the Native American adult towards his eyes until their faces were mere inches apart.

"Care to say that a little louder, Forge?" Roadblock growled, incensed and livid, "I don't think I heard you clearly enough, and I just wanna make sure what is it exactly you said before I pound you for that little quip." Toad and Blob could see that Roadblock was exceptionally angry; he wasn't even speaking in verse anymore.

Low Light then added, almost ganging up on the X-Man instructor, "And if memory serves me correctly, you weren't exactly a good authority figure when Drake and the other New Mutants decided to have a drinking party which led to Jamie getting alcohol poisoning! You wanna look down on us for being drunks? Well, go look in a mirror, Mr. Kettle, and until then, keep your goddamn mouth shut, Forge!"

"Hey, put him down, you jerks! At least Forge doesn't make mistakes as often as you Joe soldiers!" Roberto snapped.

It was then clear that the divide between the two groups was slowly yet surely growing, both physically and relationship-wise. The only ones who didn't choose a side yet and were standing symbolically in the neutral middle were Batgirl, Supergirl, Shipwreck, Jake, Kitty, Lina, Justin, Kurt, Jamie, and Tabitha. Bobby, upon seeing that Lina was still undecided, then reached over and took the insect-girl's hand with some rising hope.

"C'mon, Lina! Come with us!" Bobby cajoled lightly. Fred immediately grit his teeth as his back went up straight like a steel rod, his hands now clenched into fists. For all the candy in the world, he wanted to grab Lina's other hand and plead her to come with them, her own team (and not to mention punch Bobby Drake's light's out for being so impudent). Yet he didn't have to worry much…

"Excuse me?" Lina exclaimed angrily as she jerked her hand out of Bobby's grip, "Bobby, I can't believe you! You're asking me to choose my team over yours, and to tell you the truth, we should even be dividing into coalitions in the first place!"

"But we can help you, we can protect you and are a lot more reliable than Fat-Boy over there!" Bobby said stoutly, pointing at Fred, and now livid at the insult to Fred, Lina drew back her hand and slapped Bobby hard across the face. Bobby was shocked as he held his reddening cheek gingerly.

"How dare you? I would **_never_** have insulted any of your fellow X-Men if the tables were turned! How could you be so inconsiderate to my friends?" Lina spat before she stomped off to join the coterie of the Misfits and Joes. Bobby looked slightly crushed, mentally kicking himself for opening his big mouth. Amara then glanced at Tabitha and Jamie.

Amara said, "Tabby, Jamie, please don't leave us. Don't do this to us. Not now, when Jean and Mr. Logan need our help. X-Men need to stay together."

With a heavy sigh and with respect for her close, sisterly friendship with Magma, Tabitha silently walked over with the other X-Men, her face slightly clouded. Shipwreck was actually yelling at General Hawk, "Hawk, you can't be serious! We can't let the X-Men go off like this, especially since we need to watch out for them and Storm from the Furies!"

"Well I don't need your protection, Shipwreck!" snapped Ororo as she turned her back to the sailor and his Misfits.

Shipwreck wasn't giving up as he tried persuading, "We can still help out each other, Ororo."

Hank then growled, feral, "Leave her alone, Shipwreck."

Shipwreck snapped at Hank, "Hey, butt out, Beast! You're not included in this conversation, so keep yer trap shut before I make ya'! And Storm, you know better than to mistrust me! I saved your life back there when the Furies attacked! Doesn't that count for anything? You honestly believe I'd give you up without a fight!"

Ororo didn't even bother turning around at face Shipwreck, which might have been as well considering she didn't want Shipwreck to see the pain in her blue eyes and how she was agitatedly biting her lower lip, her white hair limp on her slender shoulders. She just said hoarsely, barely over a whisper, "Regardless of what you think, saving my life for one instance doesn't mean I owe you anything, Shipwreck. And I do trust you to fight on our side, but that's completely different from entrusting my life and safety in the hands of you and G.I. Joe. That applies as well for the students. And one man's faithful word doesn't do much good against the might of eight assassins, especially if he's dead."

"I'm not going to die, Stormy. You don't have to worry about that."

"I'm not." Shipwreck inwardly flinched a bit, wasn't sure if he was hurt by the answer or by the curtness of it. After a few seconds of silence, with a sour and resigned face, Shipwreck carefully and slowly joined the other Joes. Now the only undecided ones were Supergirl, Batgirl, Kurt, Kitty, Jake, Jamie, and Justin. Justin, bothered at the enmity, tried to act as a peacemaker again.

"Please, you guys, don't fight. _Please_," Justin wheedled, "It isn't going to help anyone if we try to split up and argue amongst ourselves like this. We shouldn't really be fighting -"

"Justin, shut up and back off! _Merde_, can't you just stop whining and being such an _enfant_?" snapped Remy, his red eyes searing into the teenager. Shocked and hurt, Justin just numbly took a step back…towards the Misfits. Jake Clawson immediately narrowed his eyes and growled, showing his fangs, at Remy.

"Stop picking on him," he retorted.

"Hey, chubby-cheeks doesn't need an X-Geek to defend him, so why not try taking the Cajun's advice and keep your fat nose out of it, hairball!" Pietro snapped at Razor. Razor glared at Pietro wordlessly for several seconds before he smoothly walked from the neutral ground over to the side of the X-Men. Jamie, upon seeing his mentor and friend choose a path, bowed his head a bit before he followed Jake to the X-Men's side. There was a collective gasp from Daria, Quinn, and Brittany as they glared at Jamie.

"You traitor! Our sister's in danger here!" they all protested hotly. Jamie, wincing and knowing this was going to cost him big time much later, just looked at them blankly and mouthed, _I'm sorry_. Toad then gave Nightcrawler a disgusted look.

"Well, what are you waiting for, Fuzzy? You know as well as we do that you want to be with your X-Geeks, so go with them, yo! No need to make such a big show of it!" Kurt actually gave Todd a sad look of pity before he mournfully teleported over to the X-Men in a cloud of brimstone. Kitty then shouted at her teammates, outraged and affronted.

"I like can't believe this!" she yelled, "You guys are like being so immature about this! You willing to risk Mr. Logan, Jean, and Lance's life over some stupid rivalry? Professor, this isn't right! Lance could get hurt, and if the Joes know what they're dealing with, then we should like totally go with them!"

"Oh, so **_now_** you suddenly care about Lance? Funny, you didn't seem so shaken up about dumping him!" Xi drawled sarcastically, his voice acidic as he narrowed his yellow eyes at the valley girl.

"And like what's that supposed to mean, Xi?" growled Kitty, whirling around.

"Lance was doing just fine until **you** came into his life and wrecked it! Trust me, the **last** thing he needs is you getting his hopes up before you hurt him again!" Xi snarled.

"That is one thing I can agree on," Spirit said lowly, his arms still crossed over his chest.

"Fine!" Kitty screamed as she stomped over to the X-Men and stood next to Piotr, raging all the meanwhile, "To tell you the truth, I don't even know why I bother!"

"We'll come with you guys," Batgirl said as she slowly walked to the X-Men, "I know you are averse to accepting outside help from strangers, but Roberto and Jamie can tell you that I can be trusted, and since I work in Gotham City, I know the area as well as the Batman. I can help you locate H.A.T.E. and navigate you to their headquarters safely if you wish."

Though a little reluctant, the Professor, Ororo, and Hank all nodded.

"You can go because I won't," Supergirl said coldly from behind. Batgirl turned to her friend in surprised astonishment.

"Kara?" Batgirl asked, her voice slightly hoarse from being stunned. Supergirl threw Scott Summers a glare of loathing before she boldly stomped over and planted herself next to General Hawk and Shipwreck, siding with the Misfits. Barbara's mouth dropped open in shock.

"I can't believe you! You're going with _them_?" Batgirl gasped, "Kara!"

"Don't 'Kara' me, Batgirl!" Supergirl said in a hard voice, "I can't believe **_you're_** siding with the **X-Men**! After what Cyclops and some of them said and how they supported H.A.T.E.'s vendettas against all aliens, a group who's against the Justice League, especially after we'd helped them!"

"Well, you can't blame us for not being really fond of aliens, especially since it was people of your kind who came here and wrecked our home and kidnapped our friends!" snapped Amara. Kara was now itching to resolve this with her fists.

"Excuse me?" Supergirl blurted out in shocked anger, "**_'Your kind'?_** You've got some nerve, Aquilla! You're mutants, people who've been fighting for peace between mutants and humans and are under attack both politically and socially by anti-mutant bigots! Who the flying moon do you think you are to look down on aliens and beings from other planets and galaxies, you stuck-up snob! No, I take that back! You're even worse than snobs! You X-Men are such arrogant **_hypocrites_**! If it wasn't for my kind, you wouldn't even have a planet to call home to! If it wasn't for Superman and Martian Manhunter and others like them, this Earth would have been conquered by hostile invaders and the like! So who the hell do you think you are to say that prejudice against mutants is wrong while having absolutely no qualms about it being against aliens and extraterrestrials!"

"Hey, it's different, Supergirl!" snapped Ray, "We may be mutants, but at least we're Earthlings which is definitely more than I can say about you! We have a right to live on this planet and we certainly say that we're not exactly pleased with people from Apokolips showing up! Instead of sticking your nose in our lives and screwing up matters that you have no business being in the first place, why don't you just go back to your home planets and help over there where you're wanted? After all, you weren't exactly a great help in stopping the Furies from taking Jean and Wolverine!"

"Ray, stop it! It's not her fault she and Batgirl couldn't warn us sooner and help us out! The Furies took all of us by surprise!" Jamie tried pointing out, but Roberto shushed him a bit by elbowing him forcefully, causing to turn into several clones.

Meanwhile, Batgirl and Supergirl were arguing heatedly, both girl still adamant that their decision was the right and better choice.

"Would you quit being so stubborn?"

"**_I'm_** being stubborn? You're not exactly out of the running for the title of _Ms. Pighead_ here, Batgirl!"

"_Femmes, femmes_…" Remy started, trying to turn on the charm to get the both of them to stop before it would lead to a full-edged catfight, but both of the young females whipped their heads around and glared daggers at Gambit.

"Butt out, LeBeau," Batgirl said in a low voice, and it didn't take long for Remy to detect the caged, steely anger in the voice, a tone that said to not piss them off in this private affair. Deciding it was better to keep his skin intact and left whole on his face, the Cajun raised his hands in a gesture of submission as he nervously backed away.

"Butting out…Remy is butting **way** out…" Remy said sheepishly and in a meek tone.

"I can't believe you'd go with the X-Men, after what they said about me and Superman! Some friend **you** are!" Supergirl said bitterly.

"Maybe if you weren't so immature and took things so personally, then Superman and the Justice League wouldn't even have such a bad reputation if you just grew up and focused on what was important as opposed to nursing your hurt pride! You know, with your overreacting over such little insults, it's no wonder Superman and Batman thought you weren't ready yet to join the Justice League!" Batgirl snapped impatiently, her hands on her hips.

"Figures you'd support them! After all, you're a vigilante and a law-breaker just like they are!" The instant those words left out of Kara's mouth, she gasped, wanting to take them back, but it was too late.

Barbara's blue eyes went artic as she then said coldly, "Better to be a law-breaker than an immature Misfit."

It could have easily been averted. Kara or Barbara could have backed down, could have apologized, could have humbled themselves and chosen to not dig their proverbial holes any deeper, but Supergirl, unfortunately, was not as self-controlled and cool over her temper as Barbara Gordon was. Her impatient quickness to anger and recklessness was one of the reasons why Superman would not allow her to join until she fully settled, and this was unfortunately was no exception.

"Fine! Be that way!" Supergirl screamed as she stomped her foot, and in her anger, she used her super-strength which actually caused the entire foundation of the Mansion to slightly quiver. The Professor was surprised that the blond-haired alien didn't punch her foot through the floor. Batgirl just calmly crossed her arms over her chest as she intoned in a know-it-all, detached voice.

"I'll expect an apology when this is all over." This set Supergirl's outrage to new heights…and their cracking friendship to new continents, being oceans apart.

"As if! If anything, I can't wait to tell **you** 'I told you so' when you come crawling back to me and the Misfits!" Supergirl shrieked as she stomped off with the Misfits and Joes following her. The X-Men and Batgirl just glared at their retreating forms before planning their next move. Though both girls tried to convince that the other was wrong, both Batgirl and Supergirl felt like crying.

000-

"Well, here we are, the city of Metropolis," Low Light announced as he, General Hawk, the Misfits, Supergirl, and the Misfit-handler Joes all teleported to the grand city of Superman via the Mass Device, right in an abandoned alley next to the infamous headquarters of H.A.T.E. itself. Dragonfly and Whitelighter were suited up in their battle uniforms along with Trinity in their new and rarely used pink and purple regalia. At first, Shipwreck wanted to leave the Delgado triplets back at home, but furious, the black-haired sisters argued that they have a stake in this more than a lot of people, and as such, they refused to stand by quietly and not pitch in to get Althea back. And if they would be left behind, Trinity would follow and tailgate them, regardless of the consequences of KP duty. Supergirl pointed out that the eleven-year olds handled themselves quite well against Stompa, and Daria, Quinn, and Brittany then pointed out that what was the point of Blind Master and Stormshadow training them if they weren't going to go on missions and fight. Not eager to gain a headache from the debating, General Hawk agreed just to keep them quiet.

As they materialized out of thin air, Supergirl couldn't help but marvel at the technology the Joes had, giving a soft whistle.

"By Krypton, and I thought the Justice League's arsenal of alien technology and junk was impressive!" the blond-haired superhero said, awed, before turning to Trinity and complimenting, "You three would definitely welcome to the Watchtower should Superman and the others allow permission for you guys to pay a visit."

"I'll remind you of that statement when you regret saying it later in the future," Lina said wearily as the Delgado triplets all had demonic, little smiles on their faces in wicked glee.

Spirit then turned to the leader of G.I. Joe.

"General Hawk, what about the X-Men?" Spirit asked, a bit worried, "You were able to get a military search warrant, so we have the law and the governmental authority to search H.A.T.E.'s headquarters in Metropolis, but the X-Men won't have any jurisdiction to do their investigation when they go to Gotham City. I'd doubt Batgirl can be legally seen as an extension of the Gotham Police Force, so if the X-Men arrive at H.A.T.E, it might turn into a blood-bath and we the last thing the X-Men need is a perfect excuse to declare them hostile terrorists and threats to national security."

"Not to worry, Spirit," General Hawk said shortly, "Maggie and Commissioner Gordon are going to help out with that one, along with several of the Joes I sent to keep an eye on them."

"You make it sound like the X-Men are going to cause trouble, yo," Toad remarked, "not that I wouldn't mind seeing the X-Geeks spending a night or two in jail."

"Actually, it's nothing like that, Toad. I'm more worried about trouble finding the X-Men, especially since H.A.T.E. isn't going to have any second thoughts about shooting to kill, and if my hunch is right about H.A.T.E., then the Joes will help the X-Men find what they need to get back Wolverine and Jean."

"A hunch? What sort of hunch?" Spirit asked. General Hawk's eyes grew solemn.

"One that I'm hoping that for once my gut feeling is telling me I'm wrong about."

"Well, you should have listened to your gut feeling about yourself and your own troop of soldiers instead, my dear General," Leonard Tonka drawled in a cool, silky and refined voice as he stepped out of the shadows, carrying a strangely carved wooden cane with a shining ruby on top, dressed impeccably in a dark suit, a white dress-shirt, and a silk, black tie complete with a golden tie-clip. General Hawk was not the least bit intimidated as he held up the warrant.

"By authority of the American government, Tonka, we have a warrant to search the premises. Now that the formality is over with, get out of our way so that we can do our job."

"Actually, you will not be going anywhere, my dear Hawk," Tonka smiled as he idly stood by. Shipwreck and Low Light then advanced towards the distinguished snot, ready to resort to physical violence.

"We'll see about – ow!" yelled Shipwreck as he collided with an invisible wall in front of him, stopping him inches short from throttling Mr. Tonka.

"What the hell?" remarked Low Light as he took out his sniper rifle in alarm, but Quinn then gasped as she got an electronic reading on the area surrounding them with her handheld scanner.

Quinn cried out, "Oh no! We're trapped! We're inside a force-field! **_Tonka just trapped us inside a force-field!_** And I can't find a way out with my scanner!"

"And it's too strong! I can't punch my way out!" cried Supergirl as she tried to smash the walls with her fist, only to find that not even her superhuman strength could shatter the invisible prison.

"Whitelighter, orb us out! Quickly!" commanded Blind Master, but to their horror, Whitelighter disappeared in a plethora of lights before reappearing exactly where he and the rest of the Misfits were standing.

"I…I can't! It's not letting me out!" Justin wailed, realizing that his power was useless in this case.

"What the hell is the meaning of this, Tonka?" Cover Girl snarled, but Tonka then took out a metal remote-control from the inside pocket of his blazer, smirking in satisfaction.

"Quite simple, really, G.I. Joe," he said simply as he pressed the button, "My master is quite eager to see all of you, so I am simply following his orders to give him what he so desires."

"Oh no…" Roadblock and Dragonfly murmured as a portal emerged directly inside the force-field, enveloping all who were inside it.

"**_AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!_**" yelled Supergirl, the Misfits, and the Joes as they all hurtled into the boom-tube portal before it sealed itself. Tonka smiled as he activated the hidden remote in his hand and opened another white rift in space and time before jumping into it. Now that half of the task was done, the other half would be no more difficult.

000-

"Finally, we're here!" Forge exclaimed with a mixture of joy and relief as the Blackbird landed directly in Gotham City Central Park. All the X-Men were fully suited up, and Forge had a deer-skin knapsack slung over his back, containing inside a few handy inventions and gadgets that would no doubt provide advantageous help in their fight and search for their missing teammates. Batgirl was sullenly silent as she trudged alongside the X-Men as Cyclops then gave the orders.

"Remember, X-Men…we have to be discreet and stay together, especially around Storm. Anything you see out of place, do anything you can to make sure it does not draw attention to ourselves! And this especially means **_you_**, New Mutants, so for God's sake, stop fighting and making a scene and Boom-Boom, do **NOT** blow up any vending machines or trash cans this time!"

"Hmph," muttered Boom-Boom crossly as she sulked. Sunspot then tried to cheer up the Bat-vigilante next to him.

"I just hope Dragonfly is OK," Iceman said worriedly, his thoughts on the insect-Misfit.

"She made her choice, Iceman, so get over it," Colossus said simply. Bobby still seemed a bit troubled.

"Don't worry, Batgirl," Sunspot tried to encourage soothingly, placing a hand on her shoulder, "Once we find Jean and the others, you'll be able to show how stupid Supergirl is by following the Misfits when we save the day."

Batgirl glared at Roberto before she did the first thing that came to her mind. She punched the Brazilian teenager hard into the stomach, and winded, Sunspot bowled over, hugging his abdomen and wheezing, his voice strangled and raspy. The Professor, Storm, and Beast looked at her in a scolding manner, but Batgirl just glared back before walking off in a huff.

Magma rolled her eyes as she said, "Roberto, you shouldn't have done that. Even though Batgirl and Supergirl had a huge fight, they still obviously care for each other, and considering you were insulting her best friend like that, I'm surprised she **only** punched you."

"Now…you tell…me…ow…" Roberto moaned, trying to hug away the pain. Bezerker was actually chuckling as he couldn't help but rib Sunspot as his voice came out gleefully sarcastic.

"Real smooth, Sunspot. She's _really_ going to like you as a Batman-supporter from now on."

"Ray, come…closer. I can't hear you," growled Sunspot with gritted teeth as he made a fist, ready to sock Ray directly into the jaw.

Soon the X-Men managed to make their way safely towards H.A.T.E. headquarters, all of them secretly hiding amongst a darkened alley nearby.

"Shadowcat, go phase in and see if you can find the main computer center that contains all the information servers for the headquarters. If H.A.T.E. does have any leads to Apokolips, the computer servers will be the best place to start. Take Razor and Nightcrawler with you; Razor can aid you in your mission to hack into the computer and Nightcrawler can teleport all three of you out should it be necessary for an immediate escape. The Professor will use his telepathy to send mind-instructions and guide the three of you to your destination as well as keeping a lookout for any soldier of H.A.T.E. who might catch on to our mission. And Iceman is already using his powers to lower the temperatures around the building so that the heat-sensors do not pick up on your signatures. With it being a cold night, Tonka and H.A.T.E. will not suspect anything."

"And the rest of us will stay outside in case there will be a massive firefight with the soldiers around the perimeter," Cyclops added.

"We're ready, Beast," nodded Nightcrawler, but as they made their way towards the front gates, they all crashed into an invisible wall.

"What on Earth?" gasped Nightcrawler.

"Hey, we're trapped inside some kind of bubble!" Magma gasped as she, Sunspot, and Bezerker tried to feel for some sort of opening with their hands as they pressed against the force-field. And on cue, Professor Xavier and the X-Men suddenly found themselves surrounded by a multitude of armed soldiers from H.A.T.E. and alongside them was Mr. Leonard Tonka.

"Hah! Looks like we've caught ourselves some mutie rats!" sneered one male soldier.

"Hey, let us out, you creep! Why don't you stop acting like a coward a fight us!" snapped Boom-Boom, but Tonka then took out the hidden remote control from his pocket.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry, my dear," he said in a mocking, patronizing, and pompous tone, "You and your friends shall be doing plenty of fighting soon enough -"

_Bang!_ To Tonka's astonishment, a passing bullet out of his hands struck the remote control and shattered it into a pile of exposed, sparking junk. Both the members of H.A.T.E. and the X-Men turned to see a squad of police officers from both Gotham City and Metropolis, with their guns drawn and aimed at the congregation of bigots. And in the very front of the posse were none other than Commissioner Gordon, Maggie Sawyer, and Detectives Montoya and Harvey Bullock. Batgirl felt a bit uncomfortable being in sight of her father and hoping to God that he wouldn't recognize her.

"Leonard Tonka, by authority of the Gotham Police Division and the Metropolis Special Crimes Unit and G.I. Joe, you are under arrest!" declared Montoya, keeping her gun fully trained on the slick man in the business suit. The X-Men were stunned to see them, and none more so than Mr. Tonka, yet gracefully, he managed to compose himself as the esteemed leader of H.A.T.E. explained regally to the officers.

"This is a grave misunderstanding, my dear detectives. We have simply caught the X-Men in the act, the vigilantes along with Batgirl were planning to commit terrorist acts of a grand nature against my organization and -"

"Drop the act and back away slowly from the X-Men, Tonka!" growled Sawyer, "Or should we call you by your real name…**Kanto**?"

Mr. Tonka's eyes went hard as he glared at the police officers.

Bullock then smugly grinned, "Hard to believe that a simple anagram of your name kept us fooled for so long, you Apokolips freak, but luckily enough, General Hawk was able to figure it out and give us a heads up before it was too late."

"**_It is too late, you fools!_**" snarled Kanto, now transforming into his full regalia of a blue and yellow Renaissance uniform, complete with a cape and boots, before touching the ruby stone on top of his cane and summoning another portal to engulf the X-Men. All of the X-Men, the members of H.A.T.E. and the teams of officers were taken aback, surprised.

"What the hell is that?" yelled one H.A.T.E. female warrior.

"It's a boom-tube!" Razor yelled in warning, "It's exactly like the same one the Furies used when they attacked the X-Mansion!"

"But…if Tonka has the ability to summon portals to Apokolips…" Colossus murmured, guessing the truth.

"Oh holy shit, the mutie-lovers weren't lying!" cried out another H.A.T.E. soldier accusingly as he pointed at Tonka, "You really **are **from that freak planet, Apokolips!"

"_Mein Gott_, that that must mean you've been working for Darkseid all along!" Nightcrawler gasped.

"How unfortunate that you were unable to realize it until now, my poor boy! And at least my master shall be pleased that I was able to deliver the sixth and final mutant he needs to acquire for his plans to control all of life!" Kanto declared, magnanimous, as the boom portal engulfed all of the imprisoned X-Men. Commissioner Gordon and Sawyer were stunned.

"Where did you send them?" shouted Maggie, aghast.

Kanto then smiled gruesomely and viciously as he said, "I would be more worried about you, my dear Maggie Sawyer, for now that you have revealed my identity, none of you shall leave with that knowledge **alive**…"

000-

"**_AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!_**" yelled the Misfits, the Joes and General Hawk as they all plummeted through the winding, convoluted tunnel, seeing flashes of light of various multitudes of stars and planets and the darkness of the space-time continuum dash by in milliseconds while the various forces of inertia and gravity pressed against their bodies painfully from all sides and from every direction. It was like being in the most twisted form of a roller-coaster except without the comforting feeling of seatbelts and seats. Supergirl then managed to get a brilliant idea.

"Everyone, form a chain and join hands!" she yelled as loudly as she could, her alien physiology allowing her to magnify her voice to the equivalent of a ship's horn in the decibel proportions, "When we land, it's not going to be pretty! Everyone, form a chain! Blob, I need you to be at the end!"

"Huh?" Blob asked, but General Hawk then guessed what Supergirl was trying to do.

"No questions, Blob! Just trust Supergirl! Everyone, form the chain with Fred acting as the starting point! **_NOW!_**"

Immediately, the Joes and General Hawk grabbed on to Freddy before the Misfits grabbed on to the Joes, in a single file line, grasping each others' arms and legs in a secure fashion as they were trained on occasion during their exercises back at the Pit. Supergirl then grabbed at the bewildered Fred's hands with hers, clutching each other tightly in a superhuman grip as they all flew out of the portal into the unknown lands. There was a sudden, brutal pull as Supergirl invoked all of her strength to maintain her hold on Blob and the other Misfits as they all held on as a lifeline.

"Whoa!" Supergirl managed to gasp, her face slowly beginning to flush as she managed to hover in the air and descended down to a large patch of barren ground slowly, "Geez, and I thought that handling meteor showers and fellow inhabitants from the Fourth Dimension were heavy-weights! You guys weigh enough for one planet!"

"Gee, I wonder why?" drawled Pietro sardonically as he gave Fred a long glance.

"Pietro, shut up!" Fred barked back. Then Pietro's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree on the holidays when his wandering eyes happened to get a good look up Kara's skirt.

"Hell-llloooooooo, I **_love_** the view! And nice '_Strawberry Shortcake_' underwear, Supergirl!" Pietro laughed as he gave a low wolf-whistle.

"Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! Where? Where? **I wanna see! I wanna see! I wanna see!**" Shipwreck said excitedly while still maintaining a grip to Low Light's hands. Cover Girl and Lina rolled their eyes at Shipwreck while Supergirl was not the slightest amused as she freaked out, humiliated.

"You sicko!" she screamed and unfortunately, in her shock, she let go of Blob, which sent the rest of the Misfits and Joes to hurtle down to the ground before Supergirl could let them off safely. Luckily, they were only ten feet from the surface terrain, which enabled most of them to jump down on their feet in an expert, balanced, and graceful manner. Lina and Trinity, all four of whom could fly, managed to stop their plummet and touch base softly while the Blob, though falling heavily, managed to do so while remaining upright, yet he made a noticeable crater in the ground. Pietro, unsurprisingly, didn't have as easy of a landing when Supergirl tackled him…

"Ah! Yeow! Ah! Ah! Ow! Argh! Get – yeow! Her – ouch! Off – ow! Me - ack! Augh! **AUUUGGHH!** Not the hair! Don't touch the hair! Yeeeeeooooowww! _Owie, owie, owie!_" Pietro hollered while being pinned to the ground with the alien blonde on top of him, giving him a good beating with her fists (luckily, she wasn't using her superhuman strength) and pounding him flat. To say she was overreacting a bit was an understatement.

"**_Die! Die, you pervert! Die, die, die, die, die!_**" Kara screamed as she began to strangle Quicksilver while Low Light and Spirit were doing their best to stop her and release her hold around the Misfit's neck. Toad and Xi then took charge of the situation along with the Triplets as everyone else was regaining their bearings.

"Whoa, freaky stuff, yo!" Toad gulped uneasily as everyone then noticed their surroundings. It wouldn't have been far off the mark if anyone guessed that they were in Hell. The ground they were standing on was a sick, diseased and lifeless mixture of useless metal, hard, caked dirt, and material solidified by the intense heat of the floor. In fact, it was almost as if the very ground was baking red-hot endlessly, and Xi was starting to find it a bit painful in standing on this surface in his bare feet. Throughout the land, as far as the eye could see, were pits of fire and lava, spewing out flames that were well above temperatures in the thousands, Fahrenheit, and the columns of fire rose from these pits to the heavens above, the skies tarnished black with ash, smoke, and as red as blood, giving it a very dreary, sinister, and evi1 atmosphere. The air was thick with rancid smells and odor of decay and foul matter being incinerated, making it difficult to breathe without the desire for some sort of oxygen tank or filtered mask. Heck, being in a room full of smokers would have been a heck of a lot easier to breathe in. Yet, the Misfits and Joes could still function at least. And there was no trace of anything green, no flora or fauna anywhere, and instead, what stood were tall pillars of metal and stone, black, unmoving, cold, and full of menacing malevolence, built on the sweat and blood of all the poor, malnourished, agonized slaves that were groaning and lamenting their death cries while being chained and whipped into working hard labor tirelessly.

"This is not good," moaned Brittany, her face white and blanched.

"This is **so** not good," moaned Quinn.

"I think this goes beyond that, girls. This is what happens when good was mugged in the streets at midnight before being stabbed in the back multiple times, run over by a car repeatedly, and then tossed into the river with a new pair of cement-shoes to boot!" grimaced Daria, "In other words, we're are **so** screwed!"

"Where…where are we?" Blob asked as he helped Cover Girl and Roadblock rise up from their sprawled positions.

"I don't think we're in Metropolis anymore…" Xi gulped worriedly as he looked around. Supergirl then gasped as she took in the landscape and suddenly remembered that she and Superman have arrived in this foreign place in the past battles.

"Oh by the mother planet, we're not even on Earth anymore! I remember this place when Superman and I went to go fight the Furies! We're on **Apokolips**!"

At this mention, all the Misfits and the Joes stopped and gaped at her, twitching slightly. Low Light said slowly and methodically, hoping that his brain wouldn't snap from the fact that they were on another planet, "Let me get this straight…we're on Apokolips…the planet where Darkseid rules with an iron fist…and now that we're on his turf, we're going to be subjected to his armies and minions…with no way of getting back home!"

"Basically, that's the gist of it," Supergirl winced.

Roadblock then frowned as he asked no one in particular, "Wait a minute, this can't be true! How could Tonka have the ability to summon a boom-tube? He's a part of H.A.T.E. and that group may be hard to take its licks, but there's no way in hell they'd be working for Apokolips!"

General Hawk then said in a grave tone, "It's not H.A.T.E. who's behind this, necessarily, then Roadblock. Thank God I sent backup to help Gordon and Sawyer, but if Tonka is who I think he is, then he needs to be stopped and _fast_ before he causes any more damage on Earth. I just hope Gordon and Maggie can stop him in time."

Spirit, however, was not really listening as he then realized, exclaiming with some hope, "Wait, then by the Great Spirit, it may not be such a problem then! This might be a good thing! If we're on Apokolips, then we can find and rescue Lance and the others who were taken! We can now find them and stop Darkseid and his Female Furies for good!"

"But there's a big problem, Spirit," protested Low Light, "There's only a few of us, and even with Supergirl, we're not much of an army against the Furies, so any possibility of us being able to take out and stop Darkseid from doing whatever depraved and sick things he planned with Althea and the rest isn't going to be very high. If we had more people or were better prepared for Apokolips' armies, we might stand a chance, but things are pretty bleak in my opinion."

Shipwreck just glared at the G.I. Joe sniper before saying adamantly, "I don't care. I don't give a damn care about the odds, Low Light. Althea's out there, and she needs help. That's all I need to know before I go out there and get her out myself or die trying."

"And I, as well," declared Spirit in a low, intense voice, his dark eyes flashing under the glow of the red sky, "My son is out there, and I shall not leave this planet without him."

"And that goes double for me! Those Furies are gonna get some payback for taking Wanda, Althea, and Lance!" Toad shouted, puffing his chest out while taking his bo staff from his back in a symbolic, threatening manner.

"**_And us!_** If Shipwreck goes, we're going too!" yelled Quicksilver, Xi, and Trinity in unison.

Blind Master held up a hand, waning the Misfits to listen as he said, "Hold it, children…yes, you _too_, Shipwreck. Keep in mind, we're on a _planet_, and we have no idea where Althea and the others are even being held. Even with Quicksilver's speed and Supergirl's limited knowledge of what she can recall, it will take weeks if not months to track down and investigate every corner of this rock until we can discover where the captured X-Men and Misfits are being held. And by then, it will be too late. Either Darkseid gets wise to our current status and sends his soldiers to kill us or Althea, Lance, and the others will die from being kept prisoner that long."

"Things are looking pretty grim, and being on Apokolips makes our survival thin," muttered Roadblock.

"Don't even say it, Quickie!" Toad snapped as he saw Pietro was about to open his mouth.

Quicksilver, still oblivious and wanting to tempt fate, just shrugged off the warning as he asked, "What? Say what exactly? Say '_things can't possibly get any worse_'?"

And as if on cue, the Misfits heard general screaming as another boom-tube opened up directly above them…

"**_AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!_**" yelled Batgirl and the X-Men as they flew out of the boom-tube and came crashing down…on top of Supergirl, General Hawk, the Joes, and the Misfits.

**_CRASH!_** For a few moments, it was just a tangled pile of bodies, one on top of the other, with the X-Men pressing down on the Misfits and Joes down on the ground. Rogue, thankfully, fell into a section that was devoid of anyone, so she didn't unluckily absorb any life force and memories upon contact, but there was a slight impression of her body made deep into the earth where she landed face-first. Thank God for her invulnerability…

Rogue managed to extract her visage out of the ground, bits of dirt and grime sticking to her face as she hissed in pain, "I'm gonna **kill** Tonka the minute we get back home!"

"You are going to have to take a number first, Rogue," Batgirl groaned as she was lying on top of an insensible Blind Master.

"Wow, talk about a soft landing," Boom-Boom marveled as she sat up, "And that was such a fun ride! Let's do it again!"

"Can I kill her? Please, somebody, tell me I can kill her…" Bezerker whined in the background upon hearing Tabby's request.

"Quickie…when I get…some feeling in my legs, yo…I…am going…to hurt you so badly," moaned Toad.

"Too late, I think whoever's sitting on me already finished the job! Owwwwwwiieee, my back," moaned Quicksilver.

"Can someone _please_ get off of us? You're crushing me…" groaned Xi's muffled voice as he, Whitelighter, and Low Light were being flattened to the hard, barren ground with Magma, Lockheed, Cannonball and Roberto lying sprawled out on top of them.

"Oops, sorry partner" blushed Sam, "but on the upside, you broke our falls so in the long run, it's all for the better." Xi's head perked up at the voice as he looked at the heavy body pressing him against the ground.

"Huh? _Cannonball?_"

"Huh? **_XI?_**" Sam exclaimed immediately afterwards.

"Ow…" moaned Low Light, swearing his spine just collapsed where Roberto landed knee-first.

"Whoever is sitting on my stomach, can you **please** go on a diet?" Whitelighter whined.

"Hey!" snarled Magma as she glared at Justin, and the Misfit then realized it was her who was sitting on his chest, and the Roma Novan princess was not all too pleased with the remark about her weight. It was then that the Misfits, the X-Men, the Joes and General Hawk along with Batgirl and Supergirl recognized who they just ran into, despite being on an entirely foreign new planet due to sheer bad luck, and as one, everyone in the groups groaned miserably.

"**YOU?** What are **you** doing here!"

**Author's notes: I got that quote from Red Witch's Misfit-fanfic, "Another Week of Random Madness" so give it a read! It is actually quite excellent! Now, next Friday, we will find out the details of Darkseid's plans with the chosen six mutants as the Joes, Misfits, and X-Men along with Batgirl and Supergirl are forced to put aside their differences and team up to stop the alien leader once and for all while Sawyer and Gordon fight against Kanto thanks to the assistance of a few ninjas sent by Hawk! We will discover the identity of the mysterious eighth and final Female Fury, but can the good guys rescue their friends while being trapped on Apokolips with no way back? Find out next Friday in "Gauntlet" but until then, read, review, and constructive criticism welcome!**


	8. Gauntlet

**Author's note: Wow, I'm surprised so many people were pained at the argument between the X-Men, the Misfits, the Joes, and Batgirl and Supergirl in the last chapter! Special thanks to asha-man72, GothikStrawberry, Red Witch, L1701E, Doza, Aaron, Sparky Genocide, Lonegrowlithe, Dante Tigerwolf, pauloj1983, Dru, and AnimationLasi for the wonderful reviews! And if you people think this kind of fighting is intense, wait until you see the hurtful comments and arguments I have planned out between all three groups for the LATER crossovers! Heh heh heh…**

**Althea: See what you've done, Red Witch? Your universe created more insane authors bent on torturing us!**

**Oh be quiet! Enjoy this chapter everyone!**

**CHAPTER 8: Gauntlet**

"Why do I have the feeling the fates are conspiring to stick it to us?" Cyclops groaned with his head in his hands.

"Trust us, we're not exactly thrilled with this either, Summers," Quicksilver sniffed as he sat morosely on the ground.

"So now we're trapped on Apokolips with no way back home, and this Darkseid guy's gonna find out Storm's here so he can use her along with Lance and the others too," Tabitha groaned. After the initial confusion, the Misfits and X-Men and the Joes discussed their options and their ideas of trying to track down their kidnapped comrades. Kara and Batgirl, though relieved to see that the other was alright, just kept awkwardly quiet as they refused to make eye-contact, keeping a noticeable distance apart from each other.

"And that Kanto guy's still has that group of H.A.T.E. when Commissioner Gordon and Chief Sawyer showed up," Cannonball added, his voice grim and lines of worry appearing on his face, "And if Kanto's an alien from Apokolips, then that could mean that Gordon and Sawyer are going to be in his line of fire, and he's not going to let them off when they know his real reason why he's on Earth."

Batgirl's head snapped back up, alarmed.

"Then they might get hurt! Wasn't there anyone else who came with you who might have been left behind? People who could give them a hand and make sure that they're all right from Kanto and his army?" Batgirl asked, trying her best to keep her voice free of any emotion, but one could detect the concern she had in her mannerisms.

General Hawk then laid a hand on her shoulder, his voice being compassionate yet determined, saying, "Batgirl, I wouldn't worry. Maggie Sawyer is a wonderful cop and a fighter who will give H.A.T.E. and Kanto the beating he deserves. And Commissioner Gordon is just as tough. They'll be fine. The Joes I sent to help them will make sure of it."

Barbara then felt better, but she did note the uneasiness rising in her instincts when she thought she could detect a little warmth in the General's eyes when he mentioned her father's name.

Did he…? Was it possible…?

_No, he couldn't, he couldn't possibly know. Only Batman was **that** capable of guessing it_, Batgirl had to reassure herself mentally.

"But the problem is, where are we going to start looking?" Colossus asked. Spirit sighed.

"We're not sure, and since the only one of us who has been to Apokolips before is Supergirl, we don't know the land very well to even start exploring, and by doing so, we'll be wasting valuable time, and it may be too late as it is now. And since this land of the dead is within Darkseid's power and authority, we are all in a worse predicament, and perhaps even more vulnerable than ever before," the Native American G.I. Joe replied.

"And it's so hot…" groaned Iceman, "There's no moisture here on this planet, so I can't even create a lot of ice to do much good if we get attacked!"

"Hey, on the upside, being under this heat and under the light of three suns gives me a great power boost!" marveled Sunspot as he went into his sun-radiation mode, his body outlined with black and yellow energy, "Heck, the suns' beams here are stronger than the ones on Earth, so it's actually feels like I've got more vitality and energy flowing through me! I can't explain it, but my powers feel…different here!"

"Then that'll probably mean you're stronger here than normal and will probably do a lot more damage once we catch up with those Furies," Boom-Boom said, sincerely happy for Roberto.

"Hey, no fair! How come **he** gets a power boost on Apokolips?" whined Bezerker.

Sunspot couldn't help but be smug as he repeated Ray's words spoken on the day Live Wire attacked the Mansion, saying, "Aw, don't take it too personally, Ray. I'm sure you'll eventually get a chance to prove your worth in a mission…**one of these days**."

"Keep talking, and you're gonna have my fist rammed down your throat, Sunspot!" growled Bezerker as he held up a gloved-fist. While they were fighting, some of the other Misfits and X-Men were actually starting attempts to mend the burnt bridges, though it was clearly evident in everyone's minds that the lingering feelings of mistrust and hostility still remained.

"Um…why did you bring Lockheed with you, Shadowcat?" Dragonfly asked a bit warily as Lockheed kept fluttering around the sky, spewing wisps of smoke from his nostrils. Shadowcat then explained.

"Like, I couldn't leave him in the Mansion all alone. And with that one Fury with the crossbow totally using her pet hounds to fight along with her, I like figured that maybe we could so even the odds with Lockheed giving us some totally extra firepower."

"You have a point; considering we're dealing with the Furies, we could use all the extra help we could get," admitted Dragonfly.

Razor then added, addressing to General Hawk, "And we were able to convince Professor Xavier to allow the X-Men to bring their glovatrixes with them in case their powers aren't sufficient enough, along with Forge bringing along his handy bag of gadgets and tricks. Trust me on this, General: if the Furies were able to anticipate our attacks based on what they've seen of the kids' mutant powers, then the last thing they're gonna expect are the kids packing some heat."

"Oh yeah! Jamie told us about that!" Brittany exclaimed, "All the X-Men that were taught by you built their own glovatrix weapons which allow them to shoot a myriad of missiles and projectiles, and from what we've seen of your blueprints, some of those designs are really impressive if not destructive enough to become even Misfit-worthy!"

Jake nodded before he did a slight double take, thinking for a beat, before he raised one eyebrow suspiciously and stared at Brittany, Daria, and Quinn, saying, "Wait a kat-picking minute. How exactly did **_you three_** see my blueprints of the glovatrixes? I never recalled showing them to you, and I always keep them under lock and key in a hidden vault in the hangar garage…"

The Delgado Triplets grinned as they intoned sweetly, "You're gonna need a new vault…"

"Now deep down, can we honestly say **_that_** isn't much of a surprise?" Rogue groaned as she rolled her eyes wearily.

"Well, at least it's something," General Hawk admitted, "and we're at least better prepared than what I had originally anticipated, so it's slightly in our favor…"

"You mean in **_our_** favor, General Hawk," Cyclops said a bit aloof as he indicated solely to the X-Men, "and if I recall correctly, didn't the Misfits and G.I. Joe want to split up from our agenda?"

Multiple then turned on Cyclops angrily, shouting, "Cyclops, will you grow up? Do you honestly want to keep fighting when we're all stranded on an alien planet?"

"The kid's gotta point, _homme_," Gambit sighed, biting back a grimace from showing on his face, "Remy don't like it any more than you, but we have to face facts that we're all stuck together like this, and unless we wanna get out of Apokolips with our hides, we can't split up again."

"And I agree with Multiple and Gambit as well, Cyclops," Professor Xavier replied as he managed to drum his fingers on the armrests of his wheelchair, "Until we find our students and Logan, we may find it the best if we work together, and that means allowing to share each others' resources to achieve our common goal."

Low Light then glared at Cyclops as he said with bristling resentment, "Just to make you feel better, Cyclops, we're not liking this anymore than you."

Scott simply glared back with his arms crossed over his chest as he muttered, "Hardly changes things considering it **_still_** feels like the X-Men are doing most of the work and getting the short end of the stick while the rest of you do absolutely nothing helpful."

Toad had enough as he snarled, taking out his wooden staff, "Speaking of the short end of the stick, yo, how'd you like me to take **my** stick and ram it up your - ?"

"**Toad!** That's enough! Things are already rough!" Roadblock snapped sternly.

"And it begins _again_…" groaned Whitelighter as he tried to get in the middle between Scott and Todd, "Please you guys, stop fighting. **_Please_**. If we're going to find Althea and Jean, then we're going to need to work together. And fighting isn't going to help them any faster…"

Cyclops and Toad remained silent, but they still gave each other the evil eye intently.

"And we're going to need to keep an eye out in case Darkseid tries to take Storm away," Beast sighed, shooting Ororo a worried glance.

"But **_why_** does Darkseid need six of _our_ friends for?" Multiple asked, astonished.

General Hawk answered, "That I am not sure about, but whatever it is, it can't be any good. All we can hope now is that we can locate Darkseid's headquarters where he's holding our team members prisoner and that he has no idea that Kanto sent us to his planet."

"Uh…comrades, that might not happen" gulped Colossus as he pointed to the sea of blood in the skies, "We're in trouble…"

"Oh geez," cursed Low Light as he, Batgirl, Supergirl, the X-Men, the Misfits, and the Joes could see the massive legion of aerial Apokoliptic Parademons, snarling and wielding energy scimitars as they descended from the heavens to slaughter the intruders.

"We're in trouble," whimpered Magma as the fight began.

000-

"Pretty smart of you, Kanto, cause I sure hafta admit, you've got balls for trying to screw with us all over again," growled Detective Harvey Bullock as he pointed his rifle at the strangely-uniformed Kanto, "Supplying weapons to H.A.T.E. and the Friends of Humanity so that you could get all the information you needed for your louse of a master about the X-Men and the Misfits, all the meanwhile causing enough damage and your own private war to make it easier for you and those Fury bitches to kidnap those mutant kids. And all under the cover of some snooty, legitimate organization here on Earth itself, exactly like you did with Intergang back at Metropolis several years ago when you wanted to test out Superman's strengths and weaknesses over the city."

"And it is such a shame that you were too late in stopping me from acquiring everything I needed for my Lord and Master to harness the power of all life itself," Kanto spoke in a mockingly, tragic tone as he then commanded to his soldiers, "Troops, wipe them all out immediately!"

"Yeah, right, you alien freak!" yelled one H.A.T.E. soldier as he pointed his gun at Kanto, "You think I'm gonna take orders from you and that Darkseid bastard? I may hate these freak-lovers, but that doesn't mean there's any way in hell I'm going to follow you, Tonka or Kanto, or whatever the hell your name is!"

As if on cue, most if not all of the H.A.T.E. faction that Kanto had brought with him to subdue the X-Men were now turned against him. His own followers and using the very weapons built by the alien races of Apokolips. It was highly ironic, to say the least.

"Hmph, they may be bigots, but at least they're sincere and genuine bigots," mused Detective Montoya.

"Once we clear you and the cops out, we'll take over H.A.T.E. and make sure we use the weapons you gave us to keep this planet free of any extraterrestrials!" sneered an athletic woman with blond hair, "Of course, no hard feelings and all, considering you did help H.A.T.E. reach its full potential and get some really prominent financial backers like Lexcorp and Fisk Enterprises, but as you've said so many times before, the only good alien's a **dead **alien."

"It's really kind of funny if you think about it, huh?" chortled another minuteman as he aimed his plasma-gloves at the blue and yellow clad Kanto, "So any last words, Tonka?"

"Just one," Kanto smiled as he pressed the ruby jewel on top of the handle of his cane once again, "Farewell…"

At once, the majority of the H.A.T.E. army was sent into throes of unspeakable pain and agony, dropping their weapons in torment while clutching their heads and bodies tightly, their faces starting to flush as blood actually began to leak out of their noses and ears. Several toppled to their knees, nearly fainting from the pain. A few of the lucky soldiers who were not affected from whatever Tonka did just stood there, their faces in complete and bewildered shock.

"What the hell is he doing to them?" Commissioner Gordon asked, his eyebrows furrowed together in confusion.

"_Dios Mio!_" gasped Montoya as she and the other police officers then saw to the horror that the distressed armed forces of H.A.T.E. were now starting to change, transmute, and metamorphose before their very eyes, their bodies writhing and extending in proportions not naturally possible. A few individuals were literally transforming into weird, humanoids before their very eyes, all of them with grotesque faces, glowing eyes, and hulking, bulging bodies complete with metal armor. Some of the police officers from both Gotham City and Metropolis felt the urge to throw up when they saw the skin and flesh of some of the bigot men and women melt right off like water, revealing their new and deformed bodies of black flesh and metal, crackling with white energy snaked throughout their physiology as the energy altered their cellular structure bit by bit, slowly and painfully. The screams of pain soon gave away to animalistic howls of the damned and insane as the screeches of the H.A.T.E. soldiers no longer sounded anything remotely human. Three or four soldiers (and Maggie Sawyer and Bullock noted that they were barely older than teenagers) were now gaping at what used to be their fellow legionaries in a stupefied daze, and one male young adult was already on the ground in fear, wetting his pants.

"Holy Jesus H. Christ!" Bullock yelled.

"What the hell did you do to them, Kanto? **_What did you do to them?_**" Maggie screamed in disbelief. Granted, she hated the Friends of Humanity and H.A.T.E. like the most abhorred plague, but they didn't deserve this! And from what she could tell, these weren't going to be easy beings to fight. Kanto then grinned as he pointed his staff at the SCU and GCPD, the jewel on the head of the wooden stick gripped in his hands.

"Simply, a little insurance to deal with you potential pests," the alien henchman said in a seductively, poisonous tone, "All of the willing men and women who volunteered to ally themselves for the cause of H.A.T.E. and the Friends of Humanity were subjected to several seemingly harmless medical procedures in case I should ever have the need to change them into more suitable forms to deal with the likes of the X-Men and the Misfits."

"You lied to us, you bastard!" sobbed one of the remaining humans of H.A.T.E., tears running down her cheeks, "**You lied to us!** You said those shots and supplements were to give us precautions against mutants' telepathy and the other proposed biological diseases and plagues that the aliens could carry and pass to us to wipe out our races! **You lied to us!** **_You turned my own brother into a freak!_**"

"More like an _improved_ human-alien hybrid, my dear loyalist…one who is completely steadfast and dependable and will obey my every command. And as for you my dear servants of Apokolips…**kill them all**."

With a roar, the now modified and foul abominations that Kanto created started to lumber and charge towards both the task forces brought by Gordon and Sawyer, now mindless drones and complying with every whim the alien would invoke upon them. Two or three of them set themselves on their own allies, and three of the four remaining human followers of H.A.T.E. fell screaming as the beast set themselves upon them, snapping and eviscerating them into scattered and acrimonious remains and pulp within seconds. Yet without warning, several steel ninja stars flew out suddenly and struck the cane out of Kanto's palms, leaving his hands immediately and seriously injured, streaked with blood and harsh flesh wounds. Simultaneously, a plethora of feathered darts with tips made of plastic explosives and laced with curare rained down immediately upon the front line of creatures, inserting themselves into the thick hides of the humanoids. And upon contact, they set off a series of tiny, yet excruciating explosions, hacking bits of their flesh at once and leaving their bodies riddled with tiny, smoking, charred puncture wounds.

"What in the name of the Dark Lord?" snarled Kanto as he looked to the source of the attacks.

Maggie and Commissioner Gordon looked to the side along with Kanto with relived wonder to see who had helped them. There, standing in simple battle stances but with their stainless Japanese steel katana swords and weapons at their sides were the G.I. Joe ninjas, Snake Eyes, Storm Shadow, and Jinx. Snake Eyes was wearing his traditional regalia of an army uniform complete with a black hood and a silver visor over the eyepieces of his mask while Storm Shadow was wearing a completely white ninja uniform with various patches of black leather sown in to hold his multitude of weapons hidden on his person. Jinx was wearing a plain burgundy-colored ninja attire tied with a black, silken sash around her waist.

"What? Who the hell are they?" Bullock sputtered in confusion. Jinx then called out to Sawyer and Gordon and their squad while Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow then dashed with their swords drawn towards Kanto.

"Commissioner Gordon! Chief Sawyer! We're with G.I. Joe! General Hawk sent us to help you guys out with Kanto! He figured you guys could use the back-up! I repeat, **_we're ninjas from G.I. Joe! Hawk sent us!_**" Jinx yelled.

"Good 'ol Hawk," murmured Gordon, smiling to himself before he gave a fierce command to the officers of both the Gotham and Metropolis special-crimes units, "Well, you heard the lady, people! Take down H.A.T.E.! Open fire!"

Everyone complied as Jinx helped the remaining human member of H.A.T.E. escape before the girl could fall prey to the claws of her former friends and allies. Jinx felt her heart go out to the broken, betrayed follower; she had just seen her friends die and not to mention the very beliefs she put her heart and soul into thrown back into her face.

"Holy shit, these things are bullet-proof! The bullets don't even faze them!" yelled Gordon as he fired repeatedly upon the leading H.A.T.E. golem, only to see that its hide was deceptively hardy and resistant, the metal projectiles bouncing off with hot sparks with absolutely no effect.

"And neither are the laser-cannons we brought, Commissioner!" yelled a Gotham City officer as she kept sniping another ogre with her rifle, causing a few minor burns but nothing that could truly drive them away. Maggie then turned to the female H.A.T.E. solider Jinx had rescued, the girl sobbing up a storm.

"What's your name?" Maggie asked sternly.

"Ab-…Abby…" wept the young female, wiping her nose and streaming eyes. Bullock, though he was a bit understanding, had a grim and stone-cold face as he managed to pick up one of H.A.T.E.'s guns, modified with alien technology, and held it in front of the ex-H.A.T.E. follower.

"If you want to get your brother back, Abby, then show us how the hell to use these things," he growled powerfully.

"So, Earth finally has a few worthy opponents," Kanto smiled to himself as he drew out large, wicked-looking twin sabers from thin air, the metal blades pulsating with dark radiation and plasma energy, "You nameless two think you can eliminate Apokolips' number one swordsman and assassin? Let's dance then, you fools."

Without a single word, Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow complied as the three engaged in the deadly showdown…

000-

At the same time on Apokolips, things were getting intense as the heroes fought off the demon pack…

"Winds of hell, storm and fire!" Ororo cried out in a gripping and compelling voice as she flew up in the air and used all of her willpower and strength to blow back the multitude of Parademons with numerous typhoons and gales, "Drive them back! Drive them away! Help us stop them from carrying out the damned gods' evil wills of this infernal planet!"

"All right, Stormy! You're doing good! Finish off the landlubbers!" Shipwreck cheered encouragingly from the background as he managed to shoot another aerial solder from the sky with his dual Eagles.

It was incredibly successful, but determined, the Apokoliptic aliens began to fire with their energy scimitars, raining down a massive blitz of energy from above while a large portion then landed on the ground and slowly inched their way towards the group of Earthlings, walking steadily yet surely, ready for some complete and utter carnage. Despite Storm's best efforts, she could not stop all of them…at least not without endangering her students and friends as well.

"Oh no!" Iceman gasped as he tried to use his powers to create a wall of ice to block the attackers from getting to close to them, only to find out that he could barely invoke enough artic energy to cause a damp mist, "**I'm iced out!**"

It should have come to no surprise, really. With the excessive heat and lack of water molecules in the exceedingly dry air, there was no source of humidity anywhere that Bobby could use to create ice from, which left him completely vulnerable as the other X-Men, Misfits, and Joes fought back the mass of aliens as best as they could. Iceman yelped as a group of four Apokoliptic soldiers then all fired simultaneously at Bobby from different angles, all ready to converge directly upon and obliterate him. Yet Iceman was not alone…

"Iceman, watch out!" yelled Blob as he immediately got in front of the teenager before the energy-blasts could strike him. Iceman flinched at the white-hotness of the energy discharges as they struck Blob with full-force, but to the Parademons' surprise, Blob, though his front section of his belly was still smoking, remained standing and pretty much intact.

"Back off, ya' buzzards! Leave him alone and try picking on someone your own size!" Fred bellowed fiercely, and upon the tone of challenge, the Parademons immediately forgot their former target as they quickly set themselves upon Blob. Considering that the emissions from the energy scimitars had no effect, the squad then directly charged upon the gigantic Texan as they all stabbed him fiercely in the gut and torso with their blades. Bobby winced. Yet Blob just smirked as the Parademons then realized with confused horror that though the heads of their spears were directly embedded into the folds of his stomach, no blood came out. In fact, the very crevices of Blob's fat made them quite firmly stuck, and now, the aliens were weaponless. Blob then brutally grabbed two Parademons by the necks, causing them to howl with pain, before he flung them at the other two with a considerable amount of strength. With such great force, all four were sent flying by twenty feet or so before they collided painfully against a rock wall, causing it to crumble upon impact and leaving the four bruised and battered and unconscious bodies of the four soldiers lying lifelessly among the rubble.

"You all right, Iceman?" Blob asked a bit hurriedly as he managed to use the muscles of his stomach to push the four, jutting spears out of his body. Iceman, though a bit rueful, nodded. Blob then couldn't help but smirk as he tossed a scimitar to the X-Man so that he could use it to temporarily defend himself.

"Not bad for a Fat-Boy, huh?" Bobby's face reddened as he looked incredibly scandalized. Blob then called to Nightcrawler and Beast, both of whom were nearby and dodging energy blasts as he tossed two of the acquired weapons to the two X-Men.

"Hey, Mr. McCoy, Nightcrawler! Think you can use these?"

"_Mein Gott_! _Ich bedanke mich_, Fred!" Kurt exclaimed happily as he and Beast grasped their new gifts.

"Nightcrawler, team up with me and help me rid the infestation from behind!" commanded Beast, and Kurt, realizing how he was trained before in the Danger Room, nodded once before he leapt onto Beast's back, piggy-back style. After scanning the field with his eyes for several seconds, the teenager teleported in a puff of black brimstone. Within a second, both Kurt and Beast reappeared upon the back of one of the numerous Parademons in the crowd before they both jabbed the scimitars into the alien, causing a furious discharge of yellow plasma and blood upon contact. The Parademon howled once before it died and began to drop from the sky. Yet immediately, Beast and Nightcrawler teleported off that Parademon and reappeared again on _another_ Parademon before cutting it down. After three attempts, the others in the legion got wise as they tried to go for the offense, but upon seeing that the enemy was now guessing to their scheme, both Kurt and Hank split immediately. With his graceful agility and powerful legs, Beast nimbly leapt upon neighboring attackers without hesitation, using their backs as steeping stones and giving lethal jabs with his blades in their heads before jumping off and continuing his trail of destruction on the next victim. And Nightcrawler was as equally elusive as he kept disappearing and reappearing at random, evading each shot the Parademons fired on him. And every time Kurt materialized out of the blue, he took out a soldier with his scimitar before the other warriors could do anything to stop him.

Within minutes, thanks to Beast and Nightcrawler's help, the horde of mindless, Apokoliptic combatants were thinning little by little. And nearby, Rogue was doing fine on her own as well…

"Git' ready!" Rogue snarled as she flew into a tightly packed group of Parademons in the sky and started wailing on them, using whatever martial arts she could to pummel them out of the sky and debilitate them from attacking her friends. The Parademons were truly taken aback as they weakly tried to counterattack. By the Dark Lord, not even Big Barda herself could measure up to the temperamental fury Rogue displayed as she struck wildly and dangerously, in a frenzy and sending each monster flying by the second. The Parademons were at a loss and stuck when they saw that being at such close quarters with an enemy made it vain to blast her, at least not without striking one of their own. And thanks to Rogue's invulnerability, stabbing her was as equally ineffective. Rogue then grabbed the remaining Parademon by the throat, sucker punching it in the stomach three times before delivering a final hammer punch onto its head and decking it so hard, it came crashing down to the ground and made a deep crater upon impact, dead.

Professor Xavier was in no trouble as Cover Girl, Blind Master, Spirit, and even General Hawk used a variety of martial skills and fighting techniques to overpower and render several aliens unconscious. Even though the Parademons were telepathically shielded, the Professor could still send telepathic commands to the X-Men, the Joes, and the Misfits, giving them valuable insight of the battlefield and making their team-up efforts all the more successful. And General Hawk was soon discovered to be an incredible sharpshooter as he took a stolen scimitar and blasted back as many of the aliens as he could, never missing once.

Dragonfly then saw a Parademon charging directly at her from the sky, its scimitar raised, but Batgirl came to the rescue…

"Oh no, you don't!" the red-haired girl yelled as she shot a wire from her miniature Bat-Grappler, the line and hook ensnaring the Parademon around the legs within an instant, and with all of her strength, she grunted as she pulled back. The line immediately went taut as it yanked the hulking monstrosity backwards. As expected, the Parademon was truly surprised as it felt its feet jerk out from underneath and sending it crashing to the ground, just a few feet away from Dragonfly.

"Batgirl, thank you!" Lina cried out gratefully, and enraged at being made a fool out of, the alien snarled like a mad beast as it glanced back to see who tripped it, but Batgirl then got a brilliant idea as she called to Rogue who was flying directly over her.

"Rogue, think you can use this creep as a way to clear the horde above?" Batgirl yelled encouragingly as she tossed the Bat-Grappler to the gothic mutant. Rogue grinned wordlessly as she took off high in the sky with the snare firmly in her gloved hands, and screaming, the Parademon was dragged along by its legs, the steel wire still firmly entangled around its ankles and leaving it quite stuck. Rogue then dove into another condensed group of warriors above, barreling her way through directly in the midst.

"Let's play '_round-the-world_', sugah!" Rogue declared in a strong voice as she started to spin like a top with the reeled-in alien still hung out on the grappling-wire like a fish. Anyone who has played the famous _around-the-world_ trick with a yo-yo knows to make sure you have a clear and wide, open space unless if you didn't mind causing a passerby a slight concussion. Rogue was pretty much doing the same thing, except that she didn't mind the aliens getting caught in the path of her makeshift weapon, with the still screaming Parademon on the end of the line. As a result of her spinning tactic, not one of the Parademons were out of danger as the line caught them by surprise and sent them flying, some even being neatly decapitated by the sharp metal wire. And within minutes, Rogue gave a grunt as she sent the last of the army reeling to the ground before throwing the ensnared Parademon she was holding in her hands to a fire-pit below. Her area of the skies was pretty much clear now.

"Easy win," she snorted to herself with simple pride.

Meanwhile, back to back, Boom-Boom and Magma were surrounded by three Parademons who had finally managed to plant their feet on the ground, despite Storm's assault using her hurricanes, as they advanced towards the two Earthling girls with their scimitars glowing and crackling with energy.

However, if the aliens thought that Amara and Tabitha would be an easy kill…they were sorely mistaken.

"'Mara, let's give these creeps the heave-ho!" Boom-Boom said, winking at her partner, and recognizing the signal, Magma grinned as she grasped Boom-Boom's hand tightly with hers. Like magic, thanks to countless training sessions with Wolverine's martial arts classes and Cyclops' persistent eye in the Danger Room, Magma and Boom-Boom teamed up their attacks simultaneously, as friends and as sisters. Amara took a running start and took a flying leap towards the Parademon in front of Tabitha, while Tabitha grasped Amara's hand with both of hers and swung the Roma Nova princess with all of her strength. Like a baseball bat, Magma was veered violently towards the Parademon right before it was about to fire with its scimitar, but Boom-Boom was faster, and without fail, Amara's feet struck the Parademon's head with full, blunt force, cracking it's head painfully to the side. The Parademon screeched in an unearthly, demonic, high-pitched tone as it clutched it's bleeding face with its metal claws. The other two Parademons were livid at Magma kicking their fellow ally, but the two X-Girls were far from done. Before the enemy had a chance to strike, Magma quickly landed back on her feet after being swiveled around, positioning herself directly behind Tabitha's back again before she quickly summoned two fireballs in her hands and flung them in quick succession at the other two opponents, the flames scoring a direct hit in their faces, any organism's weak point. Taken aback by the searing heat and light, the two Parademons were temporarily blinded as they screamed and rubbed their charred and burnt faces painfully. Meanwhile, Boom-Boom managed to grab the first Parademon's energy scimitar from the floor before gripping it firmly and using it to sweep the alien off its feet, leaving it to crash back on to the ground on it's back, stunned. Without pausing, Boom-Boom then used the energy scimitar to blast the two Parademons that Magma had managed to confuse earlier with her fireballs, and on cue, the weapon had beautifully sent the two aliens flying back far (over a hundred feet) before they fell into the bottomless pits below in the distance. The remaining opponent was still shakily trying to rise, but a single time-bomb as large as a basketball and a fire-blast stream kept him down permanently.

KABOOM!

"Guess these aliens don't know not to pick on girls," Magma giggled as she saw the Parademon's charred and messy carcass topple back down to the ground. Tabitha and Amara then gave each other a series of high-fives before ending the celebratory moves with a hip-bump, whooping, hooting and cheering all the meanwhile.

Meanwhile, Cannonball got his own scheme as he flew around the skies, ramming the legions back and forth like a powerful battering ram. Flying back down to the ground, the blond-haired country boy then grabbed several large rocks and boulders as big as beach-balls, and using a considerable amount of upper-body strength, Sam managed to deliver his treasures to Gambit and Colossus.

"Hey, Colossus, Gambit! Think you can use these to start the fireworks on these greenhorns?" Cannonball crowed as he gave them to Piotr. Remy suddenly had a mischievous smile on his face.

"_Oui_, Sam! Remy know exactly what you'd be thinking!" Gambit smiled as he touched both of the rocks Colossus was holding, charging up the stone with molecular bio-kinetic energy and causing them to unstably glow and quiver from the threat of energy building up to cause a molecular combustion. With a grunt, Colossus heaved all the rocks, one by one, at different and various points in the sky, and the Parademons were immediately taken out by the force of the kinetic-bombs. Like Cannonball had just said, it was as stunning and brilliant as a fireworks display, only Parademons were being killed left and right.

"Back off, you little parasites!" yelled Supergirl as she flew circles around the evil soldiers, blasting each one as quickly and efficiently as she could with her heat-beams, the tine yet powerful streams of light shooting out of her eyes exactly like Cyclops. Though it was painstaking and slow, each airborne troop died under the powerful gaze of the alien adolescent. There were too many for her to deal with entirely in this manner, but at least Kara could lessen the throng a bit. Even taking care of one of these soldiers could help turn the tide of the war.

While Xi managed to bring a Parademon down to its knees with a well-placed kick to its stomach, his eyes wildly rested upon a nearby hole of fire, the mouth of the pit spewing a pillar of inferno that was at least thirty feet tall and likely at temperatures that rivaled the heat of lava. Then Xi got an idea as he called out to one of his teammates.

"Quicksilver!" yelled Xi hoarsely as he pointed to the column of heat, "The fire pits! If Supergirl's heat-beams can hurt these aerial troops, then they aren't fireproof!"

Quicksilver's eyes then widened as he caught on to what Xi was suggesting he could do, and he whooped, "I'm on it! Good idea, Xi!"

Within seconds, a silver, blurry cyclone encircled around and around the pit endlessly, going at speeds in the thousands, and with Quicksilver's speed, the winds started to pick up, increasing in intensity by exponential proportions by the second. And like clockwork, the column of flames from the fire pit immediately was broken loose as the stream of fire, guided by Quicksilver into the sky, set itself upon a massive portion of the Apokolips army. With the wild heat spreading chaotically in all directions, the Parademons could not outrun it and all they could do was helplessly scream as the heat burned them to ashes. Upon viewing the annihilation of the opponents, Quicksilver rushed back down to the ground and ceased his assault, and the flames retreated back to the fire pit, leaving the army with heavy losses in a matter of seconds.

"Ah, yet another brilliant move done by fabulous, _moi_!" Pietro said in a haughty voice to Xi, dripping with arrogance, "Just where exactly would you be without me?"

"A lot happier that there's one less pervert around the world, that's what!" Supergirl snapped, overhearing this overblown statement, as she flew by while pounding a Parademon repeatedly with her fists, ramming it backwards.

"Oh, don't deny it! You **know** you want me!" Pietro grinned back sweetly.

"**_Drop dead, you little, albino hummingbird!_**"

"Real smooth, Pietro," Xi sighed sardonically, rolling his eyes, as he managed to leap upon the shoulders of a passing by Parademon and snapping its neck cleanly before it had a chance to react.

Cyclops watched another Parademon shriek its death cry as he blasted it out of the sky with a fully-powered optic blast, the huge, spanning bean cutting the alien into two and desecrating its remains to almost nothing as the solar energy consumed the alien entirely. However, for every one Scott destroyed, five or six more took its place, and there was a plethora of backup warriors, ready to finish what their fallen comrade had attempted. Cyclops then knew he had to try a different tactic, and immediately, he knew what to do. The X-Men's leader had always prided himself of having an eye and an inborn ability for mathematical tricks and geometry, and countless sessions in the Danger Room ever since at a young age only further honed that skill. Cyclops waited until the right moment, when he could get a clear view of the position of every Parademon within his range of sight, calculating the various speeds and arrivals to the exact points in space, and fired an intense optic blast. In a flash, the beam refracted and bounced off each Parademon, one by one in a spectacular jagged line, until at least thirty or so of the aliens had fallen prey to a single discharge from his visor.

"Whoa!" Bezerker gasped as he saw the mass of aliens crumple to the ground, the sky raining with dead bodies, "Cyclops, how'd you do that?"

"I haven't tried a stunt like that for ages," Cyclops simply said as he blasted back another Apokolips warrior, "It's nice to know that the old skills haven't atrophied…"

Sunspot was truly in his element, and thanks to the increase in the suns' radiation on Apokolips, the dark-haired, Brazilian mutant could shine in this brawl. Like a comet, he streaked all along the skies, blasting back any Parademon with power blasts of sunlight radiation, and even though many Parademons tried to grab the Earthling teenager and dog-piled en masse, Sunspot wasn't the least bit hindered as he threw them off with ease thanks to his super-strength.

"Looks like turkeys really don't know how to fly!" laughed Roberto to himself as he sent several back to come crashing down to the ground thanks to several judo throws. Storm then cried out as three Parademons managed to sneak up on her from behind and blasted her with their scimitars. Ororo gave a soft cry before she lost consciousness and toppled from the sky, yet the alien trio flew down and grabbed her before she could hit the ground. Batgirl then surreptitiously took a strange gun out of her yellow utility belt before she fired upon Storm's body…

"**_STORM!_**" the X-Men and Misfits screamed as they saw the lifeless form of the weather-witch being taken away by the three Parademons, and viciously enraged, Shipwreck managed to take a flying leap and tackle the group abducting Storm before they could get far off the ground. The three Parademons roared in consternation as they viciously tried to buck the brawling sailor off their backs while keeping a tight grip on their bounty. To the Joes' horror, the Parademons were ascending into the skies as an unbelievable rate, rising higher and higher into the air, and Shipwreck being unwillingly carried. If he fell, it would have been a lethal drop to the ground.

"Shipwreck, you dumb moron, let go! They'll kill you!" raged Cover Girl as Rogue, Sunspot, Cannonball and Supergirl pursued after them. Yet the G.I. Joe sailor showed no intention that he heard as he kept raining blow after blow on the heads and backs of the Apokoliptic aliens.

"Get yer mitts off of her, ya' overgrown, parasitic seagulls!" Shipwreck roared as he then enveloped one Parademon with a lethal chokehold.

_Crack_!

The Parademon went limp as its head lolled to the side, broken in two, and now dead, it was no longer flying under its own willpower as it started to plummet back to the ground far below…and taking Shipwreck with it. Unbothered by the death, the other two Parademons speedily flew off with their prisoner as Shipwreck nose-dived to his doom along with the dead body of the alien.

"Don't worry, we gotcha!" yelled Sam as he and Kara managed to firmly grab the sailor around the waist and safely brought him back down to the ground. Rogue and Sunspot looked back in the skies, but the Parademons had vanished with Storm; they were the only survivors of the army that had managed to escape.

"Shipwreck, are you all right?" Fred asked worriedly.

"No! We lost her! We tried to stop them, and we lost Storm!" raged Shipwreck.

"No they didn't!" Batgirl said as she held up her black gun, "I managed to shoot a Bat-tracer onto Storm's body before those things carried her away! With any luck, we can trace the signal to where they're taking her!"

"And if they take Storm to Darkseid, then you can bet that's where we'll find Jean and the others too!" Cyclops said, catching on, "Batgirl, good thinking! We'll be able to save them now!"

"Here, give me your tracer-device," Quinn said to Batgirl as she held up her scanner in plain view, "With our scanners, we'll be able to increase the range of the frequency-signal so that we can trace the signal to the other end of this planet if it comes down to that. It'll be a lot more accurate than your handheld tracer's antenna."

"I dunno…" murmured Batgirl as she dubiously handed the apparatus to Trinity who at once connected it to their scanners via three pink cables, "The Bat-Signal is specifically created and encrypted so that no one would be able to trace nor hack into the private frequency, and it registers at such a high…"

"Got it, we have Batgirl's tracer on radar," chimed in all three girls at once, and upon this assertion, Batgirl's jaw just dropped in shock.

"Wha- ? How did - ? You three - ? But…but that's impossible! No one can break into Batman's radio-frequency! It's never been done! No one's ever been able to come close to hacking into the Bat-wave!" Batgirl stammered.

"Your Batman hasn't dealt with the likes of Trinity yet, so try not to be too surprised to see what the Triplets can do given the time and effort," Low Light grinned.

"And they're fast, but not fast enough to escape detection!" Daria said in a serious voice as she held up her scanner to ship to blip on her radar-screen, "And with our pinpoint accuracy of the same transmission and teleportation technology we use for the Mass Device, they're heading east-northeast of our position! If we follow them now, we'll be able to find out where Jean, Lance, Wanda, Althea, and Wolverine are being kept!"

"Well then, what are we waitin' for?" Rogue snapped as she pointed at the second wave of Parademons approaching from the distance, "I'm not sticking around to be a good candidate for target practice to those nut-jobs! Let's move!"

000-

"Wow, these weapons really have a kick!" murmured Sawyer in surprise as she used the sonic bazooka that the H.A.T.E. soldiers had previously used before on Iceman and Razor of the X-Men back at the carnival. Like magic, the sonic waves blasted back the deformed creatures and sent them flying. Thanks to Abby's help, the Gotham City and Metropolis Special Crimes Units were able to properly use the very alien weapons given to H.A.T.E. by the extraterrestrial technology of Apokolips and simply used it back upon Kanto's army. And with these newer and more powerful weapons, the host of aliens creatures created by the Apokolips swordsman were quickly subdued. And Kanto was having quite some difficulty as well against three ninjas.

_Clang! Katang! Skink! Katang! Ting, ting, shink, katang! Clang!_

The very energy swords Kanto was wielding were especially lethal, made to weigh as light as feathers yet were as unbreakable as adamantium, and with the flickering wisps of plasma dancing around the blades, they were hot enough to melt sand into glass within a few seconds of contact. Kanto himself had used lasers and painstakingly forged the swords until the very edges of the blades were only a mere molecule wide, sharper than any razor and possibly harsh enough to cleave a very skyscraper in two. Yet the alien was confused, befuddled even, as he pursued and relentlessly assailed the three G.I. Joe ninjas, amazed that the Joes' very swords could withstand the strikes he made with his superior weapons. Jinx then caught the look of perplexity on the assassin's face.

"Surprised, are you?" she growled as she expertly parried Kanto's saber before executing a quick double thrust followed by an upwards, backhanded slash towards the torso (yet Kanto successfully blocked it), "I guess you've never dealt with adamantium and Japanese steel before, you ignorant jerk of a swordsman! They're just as strong as anything you can come up with from Apokolips, and trust me, us ninjas aren't exactly stupid when we deal with arrogant warmongers like you!"

Then using her sword as a supporting cane, Jinx managed to pivot her entire body on her sword before placing a blunt kick into Kanto's face, causing the alien to stumble back, disoriented and distracted, which was exactly what Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow had been waiting for. In a frenzied and blurry show of clashing swords, both the Joes unremittingly barraged Kanto with numerous techniques, both Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow complementing each others moves in a eerily beautiful and impressive dance of swords and knives. If Snake Eyes struck high, Storm Shadow struck low. If Storm Shadow used his twin daggers, Snake Eyes switched to his twin swords. And amazingly enough, if Storm Shadow had a katana in his left hand and a dagger in his right, Snake Eyes would arm himself with the exact same weapons with switching them in opposite hands. And Kanto was now truly stuck as he realized he was getting himself over his head while his raids and assaults became more wild, a sure sign of panic. If he tried to stab one of the ninjas, the other would expertly and stoutly block the blow for their comrade, leaving the other one free to harm him. By the beasts of Apokolips, there had never been a swordsman who could even match up to a fraction of these warriors from G.I. Joe!

Snake Eyes then took a chance, and when Kanto thrust both of his swords, Storm Shadow parried and caught them in a firm grip with his two katana-blades in a crisscross trap, leaving Snake Eyes free to dive with his sword at Kanto's side.

_Slash!_

Kanto roared with anger and outrage as his right side was now heavily bleeding, with a laceration that was deep enough to slice through his flesh and actually stop at the lumbar region of his backbone, nearly halfway to separating his lower half of his body from his torso. Storm Shadow then struck as he expertly flipped over Kanto's head and brought down both of his swords upon the alien's back…

_Slash!_

In one synchronized move, both of his swords completely cleaved Kanto's back into three quarters, his uniform now in tatters as he felt the winds blow slightly on his gruesomely exposed backbone and organs. He tried to swivel around and blast the two, but then Jinx, using a hook and metal chain, expertly knocked out the energy blades from Kanto's hands from the distance, leaving him now weaponless and taking a turn for the worst as Storm Shadow kicked Kanto firmly in the sternum, sending him crashing back onto the ground on his back. Snake Eyes leapt into the air, unsheathing his twin katana from his back as silently as the cherry blossom falling on the soft grass underneath the cherry tree in spring.

**Pak!**

Kanto howled in agony, anguish and suffering of the highest degree as he was now fastened to the ground by his wrists, and to Maggie and Gordon's slight disgust, the alien leader was now helpless as Snake Eyes leapt off Kanto's chest and admired his handiwork. Both of the ninja-swords had been driven through Kanto's wrists and embedded them deep into the concrete and steel of the street, pinning the enemy firmly. In a sacrilegious way, Kanto was almost similar to Jesus when he was nailed to the cross…except in this case, the alien swordsman was nailed to the pavement of a city street with Japanese katana.

Storm Shadow then took out a wicked dagger from his belt before he brought it within a centimeter of slitting Kanto's neck completely, saying in a low tone, laced with poisonous anger, "Bring back the X-Men. Tell us how to bring back the children…"

Kanto, loyal to his master until the very end, just sneered, coughing up blood as he weakly rasped, "You are too late, you Earthling fool. The Dark Lord will finally use those worthless mutants to his advantage, and nothing will spare them or your pitiful planet from a fate worse than -"

_SPUCK!_

Storm Shadow made sure Kanto wouldn't be able to _ever_ finish that sentence…

000-

"Storm!" cried Althea, Lance, and Wanda as the two Paratroopers managed to bring back the barely conscious X-Woman to Darkseid's throne room where the other five mutants were being kept. Storm barely could put up a fight as the aliens caged her in the same bindings the others were being held in.

"Logan? Children?" she managed to gasp out, her head swimming in a sea of pain and dizziness.

"We're here, Ororo. Don't talk, cause it looks like you've been put through the wringer. Just take it easy…" Wolverine whispered encouragingly.

Jean was furious, tears of helplessness and rage brimming her green eyes as she screamed at Darkseid, "You coward! You had to depend on your soldiers to kidnap and overwhelm her! Why are you doing this to us! We never did anything to you or even heard about the Justice League! So why are you doing this to our friends and family! Why do you even need us?"

"Because the oracles from a neutral source on Earth said that one day, the spirit of the M'Kraan crystal will bond with two members from your parties, from both the Misfits and the X-Men," Desaad said cryptically, "so since they were willing to provide to my Dark Lord the location of the crystal, it was simply a matter or time before we needed to discover which mutants of both the X-Men and the Misfits could have enough potential to bind with the guardian spirit of the crystal without much danger to us. With the guardian free and leaving the M'Kraan crystal vulnerable, my Master will be able to harness the power of the crystal to control the very will of life thanks to the Anti-Life Equation that shall surely be found within its blessings of creation."

"Are you trying to reveal all our secrets to these plebian Earthlings of the Third Earth, Desaad? Do you dare go against my authority of handling these mutants personally, you lowly, insignificant insect?" Darkseid asked in a low, deadly tone as he glared at the helper. Desaad cowered as he groveled for his life.

"No, no, no…my dear and benevolent Lord and Savior of all! I dare not usurp your will and authority! Please forgive me for my temporary thoughtlessness!"

"Nuts," muttered Lance to himself, "Looks like he's not going to blab the rest of his plans to us in some boring yet insightful monologue. Looks like Darkseid is actually aware of the '**_Evil Overlord's Handbook_**' or something."

"Lance, this isn't some generic horror movie! We're all in danger now!" Wanda snapped.

"And now, let the fourth and final phase begin," Darkseid intoned as the M'Kraan crystal was lowered in the center of the circle of six mutants in the fire-pit, "Let the fates give me what is rightfully mine as I reclaim it for the glory of Apokolips."

"Not likely, you jerk! Get away from our sister!" yelled Quinn, Daria, and Brittany as they, the Misfits, and the Joes along with Batgirl and Supergirl rushed into the throne room of the Apokolips god.

"Trinity! The Joes and the Misfits!" cried out Wanda.

"Hey, so what are we? Chopped liver?" snapped Forge.

"You shouldn't have come!" Althea yelled hoarsely, "You guys shouldn't have came! Don't you see! It's a trap! Darkseid **wanted** you to find us! He knew Kanto sent you guys here anyway!" Darkseid just smiled as the doors and windows to the room sealed themselves with a resounding bang and crash. Now the heroes were all truly trapped with no way out.

"Granny, Furies…" the ruler of Apokolips growled lowly, and on cue, Xavier, Supergirl, Batgirl and the rest of the untied heroes could see Granny, Big Barda, Mad Harriet, Lashina, Stompa, Live Wire, Bernadeth, and Artemis emerge from the shadows, fully armed and with grisly and hideous smiles of bloodthirsty vengeance.

"This isn't good!" whimpered Multiple as he shivered, "We're surrounded!"

Then the Professor's eyes widened in horror as he spotted the unmasked eighth Female Fury, wearing her black, skintight uniform depicting the skull and crossbones and now displaying streaks of red war-paint on her glazed, murderous face. The Professor had seen that face before…

"Dear Lord! It's X23! She's one of the Female Furies!" Professor X cried out, aghast.

The X-Men gasped sharply, recognizing her at once, and General Hawk's eyes widened as well, recalling the files he had read about Hydra.

"**That's** Wolverine's clone?" gasped Quicksilver.

"Yeesh, this is gonna get ugly!" gulped Fred.

"Who?" asked Razor, thoroughly lost.

"That's X23, comrade Razor! She's a female clone made from Wolverine's DNA! She was created by the terrorist organization, Hydra, and she's got all of Logan's powers and even her own adamantium skeleton! Trust us, she's a lot tougher than she looks! When she stormed into the Mansion before you came, she took out everyone and incapacitated them single-handedly…and that included the teachers and Professor Xavier!" Colossus explained in a rush.

"My name is Deathstrike!" snarled the human mutant girl upon hearing Piotr call her by her former name, unsheathing her claws from her hands and foot with a final _snikt_, "X23 was my old name before Darkseid gave me his blessings! Now, I am Deathstrike! **Lady Deathstrike!**"

"Oh dear…" Beast murmured in dread.

"What the hell?" blurted out Shipwreck, but Logan shouted to them as hoarsely as he could.

"Darkseid brainwashed her!" he hollered, "X23 was captured by that Granny witch and he recruited her to help even the odds for his Furies to come capture us! She isn't in her right mind! **_She's been brainwashed!_** "

"Considering she's **_your_** clone, Logan, I'd doubt she was even in her right mind to begin with," muttered Razor to himself.

"**_I HEARD THAT, HAIRBALL!_**" yelled Wolverine in insulted outrage.

Darkseid then smiled as he said in a cold tone, "Furies, execute 'Phase: _Reclaim_'. **Kill them all…**"

**Author's notes: Check back next Friday for the chapter, "The Final Phase" people! If you think the previous battles were intense, THIS will be the big one! This will be the battle royale! This will be the final battle! This will be the most dramatic turning point in the war between good and evil! Don't miss the fight between for the Misfits, the X-Men, the Joes, Supergirl, and Batgirl versus Granny and her Female Furies! Read, review and constructive criticism welcome!**

**Scott: Wait a minute! How is THIS fight supposed to be any different?**

**Sam: So far, we've faced anti-mutant and anti-alien bigots…**

**Jake: Dark Kat and his evil alliance…**

**Althea: Gideon and his Whitelighters…**

**Wanda: And now Apokolips and his hordes of soldiers not to mention the Female Furies! Exactly HOW is THIS battle going to be any more dangerous and embarrassing? **

**Two words, everyone: "PHOENIX SPIRIT"…**

**X-Men, Misfits, Joes, Supergirl, and Batgirl (groan): Oh no…**

**Toad: We aren't going to live long if he keeps writing THIS kind of torture, yo!**


	9. The Final Phase

**Author's note: I'm sorry for the lateness of the chapter, but at least I managed the Friday deadline! And blame real life for the delay (ugh, sometimes it can be a real handful or a real pain!). But I'm glad you guys were patient enough. And special thanks to Theodore Hawkwood for the e-mails.**

**CHAPTER 9: The Final Phase**

"With pleasure, my Lord and Master!" Granny cackled in her deep, mannish voice as she and Big Barda aimed their power truncheon and Mega-Rod, both clubs glowing immensely with vibrant, unstoppable power, enough to destroy and incinerate all of them with one blow, before firing.

Both energy discharges combined could wipe them all out instantly, regardless of their strength, mutation, or any invulnerability. Desaad's technological advancements made sure of it. Yet Forge was more than prepared for this…

"Oh no, you don't!" yelled Forge as he took several round objects from his pack around his shoulder which looked suspiciously like ball-bearings before he threw them to the ground. And to the Joes and Misfits' amazements, the ball-bearings began to whine, vibrating softly before they released a single burst of polarized energy encapsulating the group right before Big Barda and Granny Goodness fired with their power weapons. Yet the devastating attacks that would have been enough to level a skyscraper to rubble within minutes immediately illuminated the air all around Batgirl, Supergirl, the Misfits, the X-Men, and the Joes right before the energy was reflected back at the two Furies themselves. Big Barda and Granny screamed in rage as the Mega Rod and the power truncheon were engulfed by the very attacks they sent to kill the Earthlings, and with a simple crackle and soft explosion, the energy dissipated. Big Barda was now furious as she looked at her Mega-Rod, charred and twisted into a useless piece of smoking, semi-melted metal while Granny's power truncheon, though now half as effective as it used to be because of the damage, was still slightly functional. However, she could no longer use it to its fullest extent to kill the mutant children.

"Curse you, you foul, demonic little brat!" Granny snarled at Forge.

"Forge, what did you do, yo?" Toad asked, gaping at the X-Men inventor with wide eyes.

"Polarized reflective shields, kind of similar to Magneto's shielding except it reflects all energy right back at the oppressors with twice the strength. A little something I came up with in the lab to give us some additional protection…but unfortunately, they run out of juice in thirty seconds," Forge explained, and indeed, with a faint pop and a hiss, the shields disappeared and the ball-bearings generating the force-fields died.

"Any chance you got anymore of them in that little bag of tricks you've got there?" Spirit asked hopefully.

"Hey, at least you gave Granny Loudmouth and her Fury chicks a little taste of their own medicine, Forge!" smiled Boom-Boom as she readied herself for battle. Upon seeing Big Barda and Granny Goodness failing, Darkseid showed his distasteful displeasure as he nodded for the other Female Furies to attack, which they all did keenly.

"You've all got spunk, dearies, to be willing to storm into our Master Darkseid's base like this! I certainly say you've all got guts!" laughed Mad Harriet, cackling insanely, as she leapt into the fray.

"And **we're** gonna spread 'em all throughout Apokolips!" Stompa said lowly as she leapt high into the air, ready to squish the X-Men, the Misfits, the Joes, Supergirl, and Batgirl all in one move.

"Oh get some new lines, Lardbottom!" yelled Supergirl as she flew up and furiously decked Stompa with a sweep-punch before she could even land and crush her opponents, "I remember you telling me that one when I tangled with you Furies the **FIRST** time! What, you're still using the same defective brain from before?"

"Everyone, **_SCATTER!_**" yelled General Hawk, and as one, all the mutants, the humans, and the alien girl obliged, avoiding Stompa's attack too close for comfort, automatically teaming up into factions and working together to stop each Fury. Satisfied that at least the kids have a fighting chance and that at least one Joe was paired for each Fury, General Hawk then rushed in with Beast and Low Light to stop the very leader of this group, Granny Goodness Harkness, herself.

"How disgraceful!" Granny snarled as she tried to then blast Professor Xavier in his wheelchair, "You insignificant mutants and Earthlings dare challenge the New Gods of Apokolips? You should be grateful we decide to spare you pitiful lives as our bounty to further glorify the Dark Lord of all once he regains the formula!"

"Oh, go O.D. on some Metamucil, you constipated, old prune!" Low Light growled as he transformed his body into solid adamantium, protectively covering the Professor from Granny's blast as the energy harmlessly bounced off his metal torso.

"Such insolence! Furies, defend your Granny's honor!" With that, Granny then attempted to blast the very floor Low Light was standing on, hoping it could self-collapse and send the G.I. Joe soldier to oblivion.

"Try **this** on for size, Granny!" snarled Low Light as he then transmuted his body into smoke, thick and ten-times more pungent than charcoal, lightweight and floating on air right before the floor gave away. With a rush, he billowed over towards the leader of the Female Furies and blinded her, with the elderly sadist shrieking and vainly trying to claw and blast her way out of the cloud obscuring her vision and filling her lungs. Taking their chance, General Hawk and Beast rushed toward Granny Goodness from opposing sides. With a judo chop, General Hawk managed to knock the power mace out of the cold-blooded and hardhearted woman's hand, sending it to clatter to the floor. With a gasp, Granny tried to scramble after her weapon, but Hawk then delivered a side kick into Granny's stomach before grabbing the very front of her uniform and flinging her out of the smoke created by Low Light and into the middle of the room, his muscles screaming a bit from the exertion. General of not, Hawk was trained in self-defense and could fight as well as any of the Joes.

"You scoundrel! How dare you touch the bosom of a lady of Apokoliptic royalty?" Granny shrieked in gall and scandal.

"Trust me, Harkness, I'm going to scrub my hands out with bleach and steel wool before I can answer **_that_** question without flinching," Hawk snarled, mildly revolted, as he picked up the power truncheon from the floor. Granny then took out her hidden trump card as she removed a gun hidden from the fold of her cape, specifically designed by Desaad to cause any matter to disintegrate down to the exact molecular structure in an instant, before she aimed and fired an intense beam.

"Shit," cursed Hawk under his breath. Gasping, Hawk rolled to the side and miraculously avoided the attack, reprimanding himself for not thinking to expect a second weapon. He then noticed that Granny instead had struck the wall, and upon contact, the gun's beam immediately disintegrated the wall without a whisper. He then realized it was a bad thing to get caught in the blast as he then tried to run from Granny getting a good shot on him again, but Beast thankfully came to his rescue.

"I believe this item is too dangerous for such a ripened gorgon such as yourself to be allowed to handle, wouldn't you say my dear fellow Medusa?" Hank said in a refined and calm tone as he suddenly sprang out of nowhere and grabbed the gun out of Granny's hands with one of his hind feet, somersaulting over the Fury's head before landing and crushing the weapon to pieces with a paw. With a snarl and showing his white canines, Beast launched himself into the air, flying in speeds of double-digits before rolling into a ball and ramming Granny directly in front and sending her flying back only to come crashing into the wall. To Granny, it was like being hit by a fuzzy tennis ball, only much, **much** bigger and much, **much** more painful.

"And the Queen of Beelzebub has finally been put down for the count," Beast said as he smiled at his literary metaphor and leapt along with Low Light and General Hawk to help the others with their battles against the rest of the Female Furies.

Meanwhile, Mad Harriet was suddenly learning the hard way why it was not such a good idea to be insolent and pompous to think that one can openly handle a G.I. Joe soldier alone in hand-to-hand combat…

"Hiya!" roared Spirit as the Native American G.I. Joe delivered a jumping spin-kick directly at Mad Harriet's head, and like a snake, Mad Harriet managed to effectively twist her body to avoid the blow, before she twirled around and tried to stab her black, power spikes directly into the man's back. Yet Spirit was quicker as he managed to whirl around and catch her hands before they could get close and threw the Female Fury to the ground. Yet Mad Harriet then delivered a powerful kick to Spirit's head as she was flipped over, and wincing, the Joes sank to his knees in pain, blood running from his mouth where she literally knocked out some teeth. Mad Harriet grinned as she then went for the kill…

"Girl, ever heard of plastic surgery? I heard it can work miracles! Although in **your** case, I'd say it would take more than an act of God to fix this one!" Cover Girl snapped, her anger at seeing one of the attackers responsible for injuring her and Blind Master and the rest of the Joes back at the X-Mansion intensifying ten-fold. With a snarl, Cover Girl threw herself feet first into Mad Harriet and actually managed to catch the green-haired psycho in the stomach with the heels of her boots, knocking her away from Spirit. Mad Harriet was winded for a moment before she snarled and tried to claw at Cover Girl with her spiked knuckles, the spears on her hands extending by at least a foot.

"That's it! Any more shots about my looks, and I'll rip your face out before force-feeing it to you, you skank!" the Female Fury snapped as she pounced, diving directly towards Cover Girl with hopes of trying to pin her down so she could stab her. The female Joe however simply fell onto her back in a smooth position before using her feet as leverage to catch Mad Harriet in the gut before kicking her over her head and sailing straight to the floor, face first. With an acrobatic move, Cover Girl rolled backward and landed on her feet again before taking out her rifle and fired. However, even with her face bruised and skinned, Mad Harriet managed to do several gymnastic flips and leaps, avoid the rifle lasers before she used the wall as leverage to bounce back towards Cover Girl with her claws armed and ready. Gasping, Courtney automatically raised her gun across her body as a protective block right before the alien brought down her hands at the land second.

_Crack!_

Cover Girl now looked at the ruined parts of the rifle, neatly severed into two useless portions before she just simply shrugged and started to join up with Spirit on attacking the Apokoliptic alien as one.

At the west side of the throne room of Darkseid…

"What's the matter, boys?" sneered Live Wire as the blue-haired mutate hurled incredible and lethal blitzes of electricity towards Bezerker, Iceman, Razor, and Nightcrawler, "Can't handle one innocent girl? Am I too much for your tastes? And I thought boys enjoyed doing foursomes with lively, energetic chicks."

Bobby did his best to dodge roll the rounds as he returned the fire with the stolen energy scimitar Blob had bequeathed to him from the fight with the Parademon armies, yet unfortunately, sharp-shooting was not Iceman's skill, especially when he was using energy blasts from a gun instead of his usual ice beams from his mutant power. All his shots comfortably missed Live Wire by several feet, yet they provided a nice distraction, allowing Ray Crisp to show his skills.

"You're full of **_something_**, I'll give you that, you psycho-witch!" Bezerker snarled as he managed to rush himself in front of Bobby, protecting his friend since he still couldn't invoke much ice to protect himself or his group and, wincing, absorbed some of the electricity Live Wire sent at him. Thanks to his mutant power, Ray felt his strength and vitality increase significantly as he managed to stand up straight, still slightly smoking to the shock of Live Wire herself.

Bezerker managed to smirk in satisfaction at the sight of the murderous, electric super-being as he charged directly at her with his fists clenched, saying mockingly, "Too bad I didn't get to show you this when you attacked Bayville back at the carnival! But **surprise**, Live Wire! You're not the _only_ electric mutant around here!"

Live Wire was now a bit flabbergasted as she did her best to defend herself by dumbly sending more electrical charges at the X-Man, but Ray wasn't the least bit hindered as his body simply glowed a bit, encased with each power surge before it disappeared within his flesh, taking in the energy like a battery. With a grunt, the red-and-yellow haired teenager set himself upon Live Wire with a furious plethora of kicks and punches. The female opponent did her best to defend herself, but the mutant adolescent was clearly more experienced at hand to hand combat and Live Wire was so engrossed and preoccupied from the fight, she didn't have much common sense in her panicked mind to try to flee. Ray roared as he kept relentlessly brawling in a frenzied state, his moves almost acrobatic. Within a single minute, Live Wire was now already sporting red marks on the white skin of her legs and face before Bezerker then managed to deliver a brutal kick into her gut, causing her to stumble back. Live Wire was now furious; this was the absolute last straw for her. So if she couldn't kill Ray…at least she could cause him grief by killing his teammates.

"Say bye to your friends, chump!" Live Wire snarled, hopping mad, as she then hurled a gigantic stream of electricity at Bobby directly, and even with the energy scimitar in his hands, it could do nothing to protect him. Iceman yelped, but luckily, Nightcrawler rushed to Bobby's side and wordlessly teleported him out of danger with a puff of smoke and a soft _bamf_. Razor then moved as he launched several missiles with his glovatrix at Live Wire saying, "Hydro missiles…AWAY!"

At the word, "hydro", Live Wire knew those missiles contained water, and she would be damned before she let that happen to her. She wouldn't be taken helplessly a second time. With a flash, she transformed into pure electricity and snaked out of position in a flash before the missiles could hurt her, positioning herself directly behind the kat before he could react. Yet before the mutate could kill him, Live Wire then screamed as she felt the telltale pain of several capsules hitting her exposed back and covering her with…

"NO!" she howled as her entire body was now swathed with a layer of silicone dust, gray, thick and electrically resistant. Exactly like what the Misfits did to her before at the carnival, and unfortunately, the only thing that could remove it was water. She furiously whirled around to see a grinning Nightcrawler and Iceman, waving their glovatrixes in front of her face, indicating that they were the ones who nullified her powers. Live Wire then turned to the kat who solemnly just looked at her with narrowed eyes, and upon a second look, Live Wire could see that the projectiles that Razor had fired at her were not missiles at all. They were just empty casings. Lost and beside herself with anger at being stuck in this predicament, Live Wire shot Razor a poisonous look.

The kat cracked his knuckles as he and Bezerker flanked each other, explaining with suppressed steel, "There was no water in those missiles, Live Wire."

Live Wire's eyes widened with lucidness; it was a clever ruse. And now she was helpless again as Bezerker and Razor blitzed her with claws and fists ready, roaring as a team.

During the heated brawl, Kurt then spotted his six friends within the fire pit, all surrounding a large, crimson crystal of alien origin, and Nightcrawler cried out.

"_Mein Gott!_ Everyone! Hang on! I'll teleport you out!"

"Elf, **don't!**" yelled Logan, but it was too late for Nightcrawler to hear the warning as he reappeared to the incarcerated mutants and grasped the energy rings binding each of them firmly. It was a terrible mistake as the energy responded to the touch and blasted the German furry mutant intensely.

"Yeow! That hurt!" Nightcrawler howled as he let go of the rings and teleported back to firm ground outside the fire pit, nursing his burnt fingers and hands by blowing on them and whimpering. Jean, in her desperation, communicated with her fellow X-Man telepathically.

_Kurt, we've tried already! These rings can't be broken, and every time we tried to use our powers on them, they cause a backlash of energy! And the next time we try blasting these things, it could kill all of us! Go tell General Hawk and the Professor! They both will know what to do! **Hurry!** Don't worry about us! Go help everyone else!_

Nightcrawler nodded as he teleported and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

The raven-haired Lashina, her blue eyes colder that the North Pole, snarled at the four figures of Forge, Toad, Whitelighter, and Shipwreck, her red mouth baring teeth as she expertly uncoiled a pair of razor-sharp strips of pliable and elastic metal with a flick of her wrists.

"This is not good!" gulped Forge as he saw the bands crackle with energy, "This is not gnarly! Not even groovy!"

"Do you always use seventies terms, Forge?" Whitelighter asked in confusion, his tone leaning to being deadpanned.

"Well here's another seventies terms for you Earthling twerps: **black saber!**" boasted Lashina vainly as she ran at them with her steel lashes dangerously whirling around her protectively like nunchucks.

"Huh?" Toad blinked as he hopped out the path of the energy whips.

"It's basically a seventies way of saying '_you're finished_'! Yeow, watch it!" Forge explained hurriedly as he narrowly evaded the metal from slicing his head off. Toad managed to grab Forge before leaping out of the way of the Fury's rampage, but Lashina then tried going for Whitelighter and Shipwreck. Justin did the only thing reasonable enough during the situation; he panicked.

"Yikes!" yelped Whitelighter as he cringed and covered his head with hands fearfully, too frightened to think about dodging as Lashina's whips snaked towards him. But luckily, his emotion of fear caused the teen to orb out of way, his body vanishing in a mass of lights, leaving the Fury to strike nothing but empty air as Whitelighter teleported to a safe distance behind the Fury. Meanwhile, Shipwreck took out his dual Eagles and started shooting at Lashina, his bullets ripping through the air.

"Leave the kids alone, you heartless sea-hag!" he roared, but obviously familiar with this sort of tactic, Lashina just smirked as she expertly rotated her whips so fast, they were a mere silver blur and as the bullets struck them, she managed to send them flying back at Shipwreck. The Joe sailor was amazed as the bullets literally knocked the Eagle pistols out of his hands before a bullet sank into the bone where his shoulder met his arm, and hollering, Shipwreck clutched his wound as the blood flowed freely, staining his shirt as Lashina rushed towards him, lashes flailing.

"You shall all die here, X-Men!" Bernadeth snarled as she charged directly as Sunspot, Magma, and Dragonfly, brandishing her Fahren knife which suddenly elongated and stretched into the length of a shining, wicked sword. Dragonfly and Sunspot immediately took to the skies as Magma started throwing fireballs towards the green-robed Fury. Dodging and distorting her body like a snake, Bernadeth managed to equivocate the mass of flaming lava as she then threw her sword directly at the Nova Roma princess. Gasping, Amara titled her torso and the Fahren knife missed her neck and throat by an inch or two. Bernadeth was about to summon the Fahren knife to attempt to stab Amara again, but Sunspot dived from his position in the skies, hurling surge after surge of sun-radiation, and Bernadeth screamed as several pulses actually winged her quite painfully.

"Watch it! That thing can fly! And it's razor sharp!" Magma gasped as she unconsciously fingered the lock of hair from her head that had been sheared off when the Fahren knife brushed past her.

"And it's got a homing ability!" gasped Dragonfly in horror as she narrowly did a barrel-roll in the air with a desperate flutter of her wings, only to find that even though the knife flew past her, missing its mark, as if guided by invisible hands, it simply rotated a complete 180-degrees before flying towards her. Now whimpering in panic, Dragonfly was zooming across the air in wild loops and strafes, exactly how Cover Girl and Roadblock had taught her for defensive purposes in order to avoid gunfire. Yet the Fahren knife still followed her and was getting closer and closer, ready to incinerate her from the inside out.

Now fraught, Dragonfly did a final resort as she then heavily landed, rolling forward twice to soften her fall as the Fahren sword flew closer and closer towards the insect-girl's body. Using her wings, Lina then crossed all four parts over her upper body as a shield, folding the appendages intricately as the knife then struck.

_Pang!_

To Bernadeth's amazement, the Fahren knife bounced off the thin, crystal membranes of Dragonfly's insect-wings and ricocheted to a distance harmlessly. Those wings, though fragile looking and appeared to be made of flimsy glass and plastic, were strong enough to cut through steel. Apparently, Lifeline and Cover Girl trained the Earthling girl well to protect herself due to her mutated state, and Lina was starting to become more appreciative of her physical abnormalities.

"Whew!" Dragonfly gasped as she wiped her brow in relief. Bernadeth was not at a loss in the slightest as she managed to evade Roberto and Amara's physical attacks by literally diving and rolling to the side before expertly picking up her Fahren sword and charged at the two X-Men again. Undaunted, Magma managed to summon a wave of lava from a neighboring fire pit in Darkseid's chamber before it rushed towards the demoness. Bernadeth, gasping at the column of lava and molten rock that seemed to grow alive and snaked towards her like a tentacle, neatly back-flipped to avoid the searing wave, but then she didn't see Roberto diving towards her with his foot jutting out as a stomping, heel-kick, but she certainly felt the result.

At the east wing of the throne room…

"Hounds, kill him! Kill him and rip him apart! Unus, Secondus, Tertius, Quadrus! Tear the Joe to pieces!" Artemis yelled, pointing to Roadblock, and with that command, the cybernetic hounds barked mechanically as they rushed towards the Joe army soldier, obeying the whims of their master. Roadblock was not the least bit intimidated; he had faced things much worse than this before. As the first hound, Unus punched on him, Roadblock managed to sidestep and grab the heavy canine by the hind legs before it could double-back and counterattack. Using the momentum, Roadblock grunted as he swung around right before the next tow hunting dogs of the pack, Secondus and Tertius, pounced. Like a club, Roadblock slammed Unus into the two dogs, sending them flying to the side, battered and heavily bruised from the strike, before he tossed Unus into the fourth remaining hound. Artemis was incensed at the mistreatment of her beloved pack, and she was about to fire a crossbow shaft at the Joe's heart, but then a series of miniature arrows came whizzing by and embedded themselves into the floor an inch in front of her foot. Jerking her head back, Artemis saw the mutant girl, Shadowcat, aiming the crossbow attachment on her sky-blue and pink glovatrix.

"You!" snarled the Fury, recognizing the X-Girl instantly.

"Nice pets," Shadowcat grinned haughtily as she snapped her fingers, "Like, you wanna see mine? Get her, Lockheed!" To the Alien's astonishment, a purple baby dragon the size of a house-cat immediately appeared from the skies and started to bombard the Female Fury with fire. Sensing their master was in danger, the four cyber-hounds, sensing easier and weaker prey, turned their attention to the human girl nearby their master, but Shadowcat took a deep breath before he aimed her glovatrix at the charging dog pack.

"Like glue missiles…AWAY!" she cried as she fired.

Kashooom! **SPLAT!** The dogs howled with dismay and wrathful consternation as they were all covered with globs and globs of specialized glue Forge had created in his lab weeks ago out of complex polymers and transmuting rubber laced with steel molecules.

"Like, enjoy you mutts!" Shadowcat said slyly with a cat-like grin, "That stuff may be glue, but it's like totally stronger than cement!"

"Good work, Shadowcat! Now let's give this Female Fury some well-deserved payback!" Roadblock said strongly, glad the teenager helped him out and thoroughly appreciative. Kitty threw the Joe a playful look, her eyes dancing with glee.

"And now that we like totally trashed those hounds, you hold Artemis while I like wallop that witch to the ground!" Roadblock couldn't help but smile at Kitty using verse as both he and the X-Girl ran towards Artemis who was calmly fitting two arrows in her crossbow before aiming them at her enemies, directly at their heads. It was a sure-shot…until she felt a powerful hand grip her arm painfully like a steel vise, nearly breaking her appendage off, before snatching her weapon out of her grasp. Artemis then found herself face to face with a livid Colossus, his white, pupil-less eyes glazed with anger.

"Let me teach you the errors of your ways, you witch. And rule number one is to not shoot any girl who has a willing boyfriend that goes completely psycho on **anyone** who tries to kill her!" growled Colossus, crumpling the crossbow in his hand. Artemis was not even the least bit vexed as she drew a dagger from a hidden compartment in her armband before she tried to stab Piotr directly into the heart with it. Considering the blade was made out of the same material that the energy scimitars consisted of when Colossus was nearly fatally stabbed with one back at the carnivals by H.A.T.E., it would be a killing strike. Yet before she could thrust with her arm…

"Rrreeeeeaaaaahhhh!" roared Lockheed as he descended upon Artemis, diving-bombing, and let loose a furious blast of dragon-fire directly in her face, scorching the Apokoliptic mercenary and causing her to drop the knife in pain.

"AAAAAAAAA! My face!" Artemis screamed.

Colossus looked at the dagger a bit taken aback before he grinned to the purple pet dragon in appreciation.

"Thank you, Lockheed…although this doesn't mean I've forgotten the mess you made when you marked your territory on my bed yesterday!" Colossus chuckled back before he threw Artemis towards the wall. Bracing herself, Artemis managed to use her feet as leverage to land heavily against the stone and metal surface before flipping safely towards the ground. Yet thanks to her being weaponless, Roadblock and Shadowcat were left free to attack. Roadblock, with years of training and boxing, delivered several quick jabs, his fists flying so fast, they were a mere blur and Artemis couldn't even register them in her mind. This was exactly how Roadblock was able to catch her jaw and nose painfully. Her face bleeding and her nose broken, Artemis screeched like a banshee as tried to deliver a 360-degree jump turnkick to Roadblock's head, but expertly, Roadblock ducked and moved his body to the side, avoiding Artemis' attack before executing a overhand, right punch followed by a jab, right-nook combination, sending Artemis flying back. Shadowcat then launched at Artemis, delivering a combination of a front leg spin kick, a back leg spin kick, a offensive kick and a defensive kick in quick succession, her slender legs taut with energy and speed as she executed her moves in perfect form, moving like the wind as the time between each strike was barely enough time to allow the Female Fury a chance to block. And all the meanwhile, Lockheed kept dive-bombing the Female Fury and actually started to cause even more burns on her skin along with singing her black shiny hair, which was now completely ruined and smoking.

"Colossus, go help the others! Shadowcat, Lockheed and me got this one in the bag!" Roadblock yelled. Colossus nodded as he rushed off.

"Hey, _femme fatale_! Pick a card! Any card!" Gambit yelled as he threw his entire deal of fifty-two playing cards, all of them shimmering with red kinetic energy, directly at Big Barda. Big Barda flew and dodged the energy projectiles before she attempted to kill Gambit, but a sudden tackle by Rogue sent her flying back. Big Barda then found herself facing three identical eleven-year old triplet sisters, all of them with black hair and matching pink and purple battle uniforms.

"Hello, Ms. Piggy," Daria chimed sweetly.

"The name is Big Barda, you insolent little twerps!" Big Barda snarled as she tried to grab them, but the sisters avoided her hands as they kept teasing her.

"**_Big_** Barda? What's so big about you? I mean, other than your butt…" Daria commented, cocking her head to the side.

"It is supposedly bigger than normal. Or it could be because of her big head…" Brittany added.

"I'll tell you _one_ thing: she sure wasn't named Big Barda because of her breasts," Quinn giggled.

All these jokes just made Big Barda madder and madder as she then flew after the Delgado Triplets, every fiber in her body pleading to wring their little necks.

"Come back here and die, you little Munchkins!" she screamed, but now serious, Daria, Quinn, and Brittany joined hands, their eyes going white and pupil-less as they levitated in the air and sent a huge psychic attack into Big Barda.

"Yeoooowww!" the Female Fury howled.

"Bad girl!" yelled Trinity in unison as the hovered alongside in the air, following the Female Fury second-in-command and shocking her with their psychic assaults, "Bad girl! Bad girl! Bad, bad, bad!"

"**_Yeeeooowww!_** I'm warning you, you little - ! Yeowch! **Cut it out, you little brats!**"

Meanwhile, in the middle of the combat zone, Stompa managed to send Cannonball flying back, crashing through the wall despite Sam rocketing directly towards her with his mutant gravitational powers.

"Ow…" the country mutant moaned as he gingerly held his head, wincing. Thank God for the protective shield that generated around him due to his mutation…

"Ha! You see, you little wimps? No one can stop Stompa!"

"Then call **me** 'no one'!" yelled Colossus as he rushed from nowhere and delivered a brutal and devastating uppercut towards the Fury, and screaming, she sailed in an arc in the air before crashing against the wall. Stompa now lost her black glasses as her chin and lips were stained with blood, her soulless eyes now glittering with vengeance.

"That's it, Metal-Boy, cause I'm gonna have to put my foot down!" growled Stompa as she stomped on the ground, sending a growing fissure scuttling towards Colossus and threatening to bury him into the ground by the sinking faultline. Yet thankfully, Nightcrawler grabbed onto Colossus and teleported him out of danger. This enabled Supergirl to act…

"That's it, Loudmouth, cause **I'm** gonna have to put **Freddy** down!" yelled Kara's voice from above triumphantly, and the sentence was so out of the blue, Stompa actually stopped, her face a mixture of confusion and bewilderment, before she looked up to the source dumbly.

"Huh?" she said stupidly, which happened to be her biggest mistake as she saw for a fleeting second, Supergirl dropping the Blob from the sky right directly on top of the large woman.

"Geronimooooooooo!" cheered Blob as he fell, belly-flop style.

**_WHAM!_**

"OK, that is **so** not a pretty sight," winced Cannonball as he witnessed Blob lying directly on top of the alien Female Fury, with the New God of Apokolips screaming bloody murder about being violated (and again, _that_ was not a pretty thought to ponder over either).

"Get off of me, you fat pig!" screamed Stompa as Blob laid sprawled out over her. With a mighty heave, the alien managed to toss Blob aside, but before she could use her Gun Boots to crush him, Supergirl and Colossus tackled her together as one.

"Blob! You OK?" Cannonball gasped, helping the Misfit back up as Supergirl and Colossus kept trying to pound Stompa.

"**I** am, but that big, ugly cow's not going to be in a minute! Nothing fazes the Blob!" Fred snarled as he got up without even hesitating, ignoring Sam's concern, as he charged directly for Stompa again.

"Hey, wait up!" Cannonball yelled as he used his powers to rocket and propel himself into the fray.

Meanwhile, Mad Harriet had enough as she then aimed her knuckles at Cover Girl and Spirit and like bullets, the spikes from her hands flew out, swift and sure and as deadly arrows.

"Duck!" yelled Spirit as he dragged Courtney down to prevent her from being shot to death. Boom-Boom had enough.

"Try dealing with me, green n' ugly!" Tabitha snarled. Mad Harriet then shot her power spikes at the blond mutant, but Boom-Boom was quicker as she flung several time-bombs at the flying projectiles before they could even hit her.

_Paf! Paf! Boom! Kapaf! Kaboom!_ And thanks to the brilliant explosions, the Female fury was temporarily blinded.

"Augh! My eyes! I can't see!"

"Well, that's kind of the point, you bimbo," muttered Boom-Boom, rolling her eyes, before she delivered a jumping side-kick to Mad Harriet's face, causing her to stumble a bit. And that gave Pietro his chance to annoy his new target.

"Ha! Wedgie!" cheered Quicksilver as he actually managed to snap Mad Harriet's underwear painfully before he actually hoisted up her waistline. The Female Fury screamed in rage, now past the boiling point as she whirled around and tried to impale him. Yet thanks to his endless sessions with the Blind Master and Spirit (and countless exercises as a consequence of KP duty), Pietro wasn't even worried as he neatly managed to evade all the rods thrown at him. Then before Mad Harriet could try to fire again, she saw Pietro let fly something right before it hit her in the face.

_Splat!_

"A pie? You hit a bloodthirsty alien from a world run by some satanic tyrant with a **_pie_**?" Cover Girl asked, her eye twitching slightly from the awkward randomness of the event.

"Oh, really original, you dumb, pathetic hyperactive screwball!" growled Mad Harriet sarcastically, bitingly, as she furiously wiped the cream filling off her face, "Hitting me with a pie! I'll put down that you're a second-rate comedian on your tombstone after I desecrate what's left of your corpse to Artemis' hounds!"

"Not original? _Moi_? And I thought hitting you with a pie filled with cream of urushiol from Airtight's lab would get me nominated for 'Most Original'!"

Spirit had a very funny look on his face as he helped Cover Girl up on her feet and said from the sidelines, "_Urushiol_? Isn't that the chemical found in poison ivy?"

"Yep. Only this special cream I stole…er, **_borrowed_** from Airtight's lab works ten times faster and is enough to cause welts and boils the size of quarters!"

"A pie laced with poison ivy, huh? Does it even work, Quickie?" Boom-Boom asked, smiling.

"**_YYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHH!_**" screamed Mad Harriet in the background as she started clawing at her visage roughly with her fingernails, drawing blood and deep, bleeding gouges, "**_MY FACE! He ruined my beautiful face! I'm going to KILL that annoying, albino hummingbird!_**"

"I think you can see for yourselves. And that's our cue to split! Woo hoo!" Quicksilver laughed as Mad Harriet gave chase, concentrating solely on the Misfit speedster and ignoring the other three she was battling with previously.

"You live for this, don't you?" Cover Girl asked as Quicksilver dashed past her, hooting.

"Pretty much! Besides, she should be grateful I haven't gotten to the stuff on my list for kidnapping Wanda! Woo hoo, woo hoo, woo hoo hoo hoo hoo!"

"Quicksilver, you're supposed to be _fighting_ her, not annoying her!" yelled Xavier in the background.

"Actually Prof, I think **this** option's a lot more painful," smirked Boom-Boom as she watched, amused, at a **_very_** puffy and swollen-faced Mad Harriet chasing Quicksilver, screaming like a insane banshee and shouting threats and curses that are in no way appropriate to be written down as tangible words.

In the throne room, at the east end…

Batgirl calmly positioned six Batarangs, three in each hand and firmly held between her fingers, as Lady Deathstrike, the mutant female formerly known as X23, charged directly towards her in a silent line. With a powerful throw, Batgirl chucked her weapons, the sharp projectiles cutting through the air, yet unafraid, Deathstrike used her claws and literally destroyed each one in midair without much thought, not even making an effort to dodge them.

"Whoa," murmured Batgirl worriedly to herself as the Fury continued to dash towards her, "this **_might_** require a little more strategy…." With that, the masked vigilante managed to impressively back-flip out of range, leaving Deathstrike to clout the girl was standing on a second ago, causing a noticeable hole in the metal floor. Impervious to the miss, the mutant girl pursued after her, and Batgirl was having much difficulty as she barely dodged the adamantium claws of Wolverine's clone by a matter of inches. Yet before she could attempt to impale Batgirl again, Lady Deathstrike, sensing an incoming attack from her blind spot, simply swiveled around and crossed her arms over her chest as an effective block before Xi's foot struck the apex of her crossed arms roughly. Growling, Lady Deathstrike pushed back Xi, causing him to flip backwards and land softly into the ground, by opening her arms before she pushed with her leg muscles and dove at Xi with her clawed foot aimed at his head. His face cold stone and emotionless, Xi managed to duck and leap back again, but Deathstrike, obviously wise enough to anticipate that sort of evasion technique, simply landed on the nearby wall, pivoted one foot and bounced back towards the lizard-like Misfit before he could even realize what was happening. Instincts rushing in, Xi jerked his chest and arched it backwards as far as he could…

_Slash!_

Xi winced as he touched the light yet bleeding laceration showing through the rip on his tunic where Deathstrike kicked him, but he then raised his head as he saw Blind Master calmly walk in front of the Misfit and positioning himself in front of the mutant Fury. Deathstrike sneered vainly, glancing at the telltale cane and dark glasses before she stopped, her senses tingling. Then she realized that the human in front of her possessed a great deal of cunning and strength underneath; she forgot one rule about opponents: appearances can be deceiving.

"I am ready for you, X23," Blind Master said solemnly, calmly, his legs slightly bent and the muscles in his body tense and quivering with anticipation. At the mention of her old name, Deathstrike was apoplectic and now mad with anger and hellfire, and thus, went completely berserk as she rushed at the G.I. Joe ninja master, ready to slay him where he stood in an instant. She barraged the African American Joe with several swipes of her adamantium claws, but to her amazement…he disappeared when she ceased her attack! She couldn't see nor sense him! His ki vanished entirely!

"This is not who you are, X23," Blind Master said calmly behind her, and reacting in mere fractions of a second, Deathstrike swiveled around and tried to gouge her enemy with the blade jutting out of her foot, but Blind Master wisely raised his arm and blocked the kick, his hand grasping at the junction of where her ankle met her foot and stopping the adamantium spike from cutting him by mere inches. He _caught_ her foot? Impossible! No one could be humanly **that** fast! Snarling like a caged animal, Deathstrike became wild as she launched herself up in the air and delivered her other foot with three kicks, her heel pointed downward and ready to bash Blind master's head. Undaunted, Blind Master grabbed her other foot and literally tossed her aside without as much as a grunt. Lady Deathstrike was now starting to unravel, her tactical cunning and strategic mind beginning to fall apart at the seams at seeing the man wearing the black, leather trench-coat easily. Blind Master just sadly addressed her again.

"You know this is wrong, X23. This is not who you are."

Deathstrike shrieked as she tried to hack at him, but Gabriel stepped to the side, avoiding it.

"You are not a killer…"

Deathstrike jumped up and tried to bring both sets of her claws upon the Blind Master's head in a downwards, hammer punch, but the ninja master strafed at the last instant and the Fury's metal claws just chipped the stone floor. Then Blind Master lightly rapped the girl's hands with his cane, like a schoolteacher trying to administer gentle admonishment to a female student with a ruler to the palms. Deathstrike, however, was howling as if the Joe decapitated her hands from her body with a blade.

"You do not belong with these Female Furies, and you are not a slave of Darkseid…"

"**_SHUT UP!_**" howled the mutant as she delivered a flying roundhouse kick, but Blind Master ducked and threw her off to the sidelines with a simple judo move before rapping her on top of the head.

"You are a mutant girl, a girl who deserves a life of her own, a girl who needs love and friends like the other X-Men."

"Damn you!" howled Deathstrike as she flipped over the ninja and tried to impale his back, but Blind Master simply blocked her claws by pushing them to the side before delivering a kick to her kneecap, spraining it to prevent future use before hitch-kicking her directly in the center of her ribcage.

"X23, stop this. Don't you realize the implications of your deeds? You are sacrificing your father to Darkseid…a father who hasn't stopped caring for you…"

"**_HE IS NOT MY FATHER!_**" screamed Deathstrike as she charged at him, her leg slightly limping and hindering her speed a bit more.

"What is he doing?" gasped Batgirl in horrified awe as Lady Deathstrike kept trying to eviscerate the Joe.

Xi's eyes never left his sensei as he said with a touch of reverence, "He's trying to break through to her."

"Well, we can't leave it up to him! We have to help!" Batgirl declared stoutly as she took a black and yellow Batarang from her belt and attached it to a loop of thin, metal wire before she threw it at Deathstrike, intentionally missing the girl but having it ricochet off the wall.

"Xi, catch it!" Batgirl yelled, and the green, lizard-like Misfit suddenly knew what Batgirl wanted to achieve as he neatly ensnared the attached Batarang with one clawed hand, and in unison, both Batgirl and Xi pulled at the line with a vicious yank. Caught off guard, Lady Deathstrike roared with wrathful anger as the rope caught her around the knees, chaffing them while she tripped and fell hard on her back.

"What are you doing?" Blind Master demanded at Batgirl angrily, "I was getting to her!"

"We can't wait for chance to deal with that! We have to take her down now! It's the only definite way to save her if that is what you truly want!" Batgirl snapped as she and Xi teamed up as a duo to fight Lady Deathstrike. Blind Master felt his blood bubble dangerously as he glared at the vigilante's back before he exhaled wearily with frustration, giving in.

"Damn, stubborn pig-headed woman," muttered the ninja master to himself before he leapt into the skirmish.

At the same time, Big Barda, managing to evade Trinity, then found herself face to face with the lone mutant child known as Multiple.

"Back off and give us back our friends, Big Barda!" Jamie snapped.

"You and what army, you little rugrats?" Big Barda snarled. To her amazement, no sooner did she just say that when the young, brown-haired adolescent then literally multiplied before her very eyes until she was in plain view of a large throng of Jamie-clones, all of them pointing a loaded glovatrix directly at her.

Yep, it was safe to say she walked right into **_that_** one.

"Frankly…**this** army! Missiles…AWAY!" yelled the twenty-odd Multiple clones as they all fired a barrage of four or five miniature missiles each from their glovatrixes, every one of the shots containing enough nitroglycerin and a tiny microgram of Semtex explosive. Jake had patiently reminded the New Mutants time and time again to not fool around with their glovatrixes (if they wished to keep their hands and fingers in entirety) and to only use this ammunition as a _last_ resort. Multiply (no pun intended) that number of explosive projectiles per mutant clone, and you had a whole arsenal of tiny, jet-propelled rockets that could even cause some tingling to the Juggernaut. And frankly, Big Barda was not on the same level as Marko Cain. Before she could even make a move to dodge, Rogue managed to grab her from behind and positioned the Fury in front of herself as a makeshift shield, and Big Barda couldn't break out thanks to Rogue's superhuman strength.

"Get your hands off me, you sickening, germ-ridden slug!" Big Barda screamed as she tried to writhe out of the goth's grip, but Rogue just smiled as he then gave Big Barda a brutal shove forward directly towards the missiles approaching them before flying backwards.

"If you insist, sugah…" she chimed as she ducked and covered her head whereas the Female Fury met the swarm of rockets at the same time.

**_KA-BOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMM!_**

Rogue neatly strafed to the side, allowing the alien to go hurtling past thanks to the powerful force of the explosion. And stunned from the explosion, Big Barda actually kept flying back thanks to Newton's Laws of Motion right before she collided with the thick wall of the throne room.

**_Crash!_**

"Ouch, that's _gotta_ hurt," winced Daria playfully as they witnessed the charred and sooty Big Barda lying spread-eagled against the cracked and heavily damaged wall thanks to her impact, her golden headdress in ruins and her uniform torn and frayed.

"And this will hurt her even more," grinned Gambit as he touched the walls Big Barda had collided against with one hand, causing it to glow faintly, "Everyone, duck and cover!"

With that, Rogue, Multiple, and Cyclops used their glovatrixes to invoke Tesla shields for Trinity and Gambit to huddle behind right before Remy's kinetic buildup on the wall reached critical mass.

"Oh no…" groaned Big Barda, realizing too late what was about to happen…

**_KAAA-WHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMM!_**

"And there she goes again!" cheered Brittany as they all saw Big Barda go sailing past them before colliding with the wall on the opposite side of the throne room, "Wow, she really loves kissing any hard surfaces, doesn't she?"

Meanwhile, Boom-Boom then got another brilliant idea…

"Lina! Girl, can you give me a lift?" Boom-Boom cried out eagerly. Dragonfly smiled, knowing where to go, as she wrapped her hands around the X-Man's waist and took off in the sky, soaring high above the battlefield. Thanks to her army training, it wasn't too much of an effort for Lina to carry Tabitha. Boom-Boom then smiled as she made a handful of plasma bombs, each as large as marbles, glowing hotly with energy, before she scattered them and dropped them upon Stompa, Lashina, and Bernadeth. The Female Furies screamed with disbelief was they were besieged by thousands upon thousands of tiny explosions from the air as the hailstorm of time-bombs.

"Hey Furies! Since you girls smell like you could really use a bath, enjoy _this_ shower!" Boom-Boom said as she dropped three large time-bombs as large as bowling balls.

"Scatter, girls!" Lashina cried out as she, Stompa, and Bernadeth ran for cover as all three struck the floor.

**_KABOOM!_** The force of Tabitha's time-bombs sent all three of the Furies flying, rubble and bits of rock raining down upon them from the blast.

"You know, I **could** feel a little sorry for them…" Lina mused, her tone a bit mocking.

"We **could**…" Tabitha repeated.

"…but we don't," the two finished in unison, smiling vindictively.

Currently, Nightcrawler was busy trying to evade Bernadeth as she was trying to stab him while being chased by Dragonfly, Magma, and Sunspot, all three of whom were trying to detain and incapacitate Bernadeth…

"_Ach!_ Please, _die Freudin_! Can't we talk about this in a reasonable and calm manner? Yeow!"

"Fuzzy, hate to tell you this, but in this case, if a girl's trying to kill you…**_KICK HER ASS!_**" Toad snapped impatiently as he managed to wildly swivel and strafe out of range of Lashina's whip before grabbing the very end of his wooden bo and brought the other end hard across the back of the Fury's head. Lashina seethed in rage as she then snared Toad by his legs before the frog-like mutant could hope out of range, and Toad screamed, his body going into spasms, as Lashina pumped a nearly-lethal surge of energy into the Misfit's body. The cold-blooded Fury grinned nauseatingly, showing her teeth like some demented lunatic, as she raised her other hand, ready to bring down the metal whip to come bludgeoning down on Toad's neck and head.

"Toad!" yelled Forge and Whitelighter in dread, but Shipwreck flung himself into action as at the last second, he miraculously tackled the Female Fury off Toad before she could kill him, allowing the bands around Toad's legs to go slack and lessening the pain inflicted upon his body.

"Get off of me, you slime!" Lashina screamed as she knocked the Joe sailor back before she tried to strike again with a third whip she unleashed from her palms. Now Whitelighter was truly scared and truly angry for Shipwreck's behalf as he then, despite not even consciously thinking it, raised his hand out and yelled out.

"**_Energy whips!_**" With a flash, the steel band disappeared in a swarm of lights and sparks before it orbed into Justin's hands, leaving the Female Fury unarmed. This enabled Toad to spew a glob of green, thick, mucous-like slime directly into the Apokoliptic warrior's face, temporarily blinding her and impairing her vision. Justin's eyes grew as big as saucers.

"I did it! Oh my God, I can't believe this! _I actually did it!_" he exclaimed in excitement.

"Now's not the time to celebrate, Whitelighter! Now Forge!" Toad yelled as he managed to pick up Shipwreck by the waist and hopped him away to safety. Forge nodded as he threw several capsules at Lashina.

**_FLAAAASSSSSSHHHHH!_**

"Yaaarrrrrggghhh! What did you do to me?" screamed Lashina as she managed to prop herself into a standing position, one shoulder now heavily dislocated. Forge smirked.

"Antimatter cherry bombs," he smirked, "Came up with 'em in my lab last month, and kinda funny how just one of those is enough to blow up a whole room if the magnetic spheres that contain them should ever get destroyed by some sort of energy discharge and come into contact with actual matter outside the shell coverings. And your whips count as physical matter last time I checked…or correction, _what's left_ of your whips."

Lashina looked down and saw that the mutant inventor was speaking the truth; her trusty whips had completely obliterated and disintegrated into nonexistent ashes and particles. Along with most of the other whips that she had lashed around her uniform, and indeed, there were at most only three or four in good enough condition to be used for combat.

"My weapons!" Lashina shrieked in rage.

Forge's voice was even smugger as he clarified, "Did I forget to mention that antimatter immediately obliterates and disintegrates **_anything_** it comes in contact with?"

"You shall pay for that, inventor!" Lashina screamed, now bent for vengeance as she took the longest steel strip and unraveled it from her torso before twirling and cracking the air dangerously all around her as a display to intimidate.

General Hawk then yelled to the background, "Forge, forget her and come with me! I need your help on something!"

"General?" Forge actually gaped at the leader of G.I. Joe with his mouth open and slightly ajar.

"Just trust me! Shipwreck, I sent Low Light to help you out! Can you four handle that Female Fury?" Hawk yelled as Forge nodded after the first sentence and made his way through the chaos and fighting on the combat zone.

"No problem! We can deal with this landlubber!" yelled Shipwreck, giving a fierce nod before he, Low Light, Toad, and a slightly fearful (and hesitant) Whitelighter then charged directly towards the Female Fury before she could strike them first.

At the south end of the hall …

"Colossus, I simply must request for a boost! Your position, seven o'clock!" yelled Hank as he ran on all fours towards the Russian X-Man with speeds rivaling a cheetah. Glancing for an instant over his shoulder, Colossus saw that the direction Beast indicated was directly towards the Fury, Big Barda. With a nod, automatically, Colossus knelt down and bridged his hands together as a footstool. Beast then took a running leap before landing a single hind paw onto Colossus' palms and the young mutant flung Beast towards Big Barda with all of his strength. Big Barda didn't even see Beast coming until she felt him tackle her brutally, spearing her, before the both of them hurtled towards the ground.

_Crash!_

"Normally, I shouldn't be the gentleman in this situation, but I simply must insist to thank you for breaking my fall!" Beast said scornfully as he leapt off the body of Big Barda who was still lying on her back within the deep impression she made in the floor when Beast slammed her into the ground. Thanks to the laws of physics, with Big Barda acting the go-between, Beast was spared without a bruise while Big Barda, despite her invulnerability, was stunned from Beast's body weight breaking her in the fall.

"I…am…going…to kill…him," Big Barda hissed as she managed to shakily raise herself up from her sprawled position, "You hear me, you smelly ape? When I catch you, your furry hide will be the rug for my personal chambers!"

"Try and see if you can even handle the rest of us, first, you witch!" yelled Rogue as she snatched Big Barda from the floor and flew upwards with her superstrength, high above the throne room, before she pitched a screaming Big Barda to the ceiling, once again sending the alien female to come colliding against a hard surface.

_Smash!_

"And what goes up…" grinned Rogue as she watched a limp Big Barda topple from the hole in the dome and drop back towards…

_Crash!_

"…must come down," finished Rogue, satisfied, as Big Barda made _another_ crater due to her body falling into it.

"You know, Brittany may be right," chortled Scott, absolutely enjoying this, "She does have an affinity for walls and floors…"

By now, Darkseid was livid. Here, he commanded over all, like a king, his soldiers and minions one of the most feared mercenaries and warriors throughout galaxies and dimensions alike! And yet here were Granny and her Furies and the Parademons and Kanto, fighting with much difficulty against inferior Earthlings! Children and adolescents, no less! Even humans, life forms of no special ability or gift to make them a worthy adversary, and yet even Stompa was having difficulty eliminating them! He was so close, too close to finding that damned, elusive equation! He needed to act now if he was ever to gain control over all life and free will itself…

With a furious growl, Darkseid's face contorted with desperate and furious wrath as he invoked the Omega Effect, the energy flowing through his body that would destroy or create **_anything_** he chose whether it be a tangible object or a living and breathing being. Without fail and tossing caution to the winds, Darkseid fired a short burst of the Omega Effect into the center of the M'Kraan crystal itself. Despite the protective energy barrier surrounding the crystal, despite the numerous failed efforts of Desaad when he tried to use his mechanical talents to find a way to breach the power gem, despite the numerous warnings from legends he had received about the omnipotent Force that guards the crystal ever so valiantly…

Darkseid felt nothing but cold, cruel, triumphant satisfaction as his Omega beams tore into the surface of the mammoth red jewel in the epicenter of the circle of the six chosen mutants. With a gratifying noise, the M'Kraan crystal cracked significantly.

Immediately…it was pure chaos.

"What? What's going on?" Cover Girl yelled after she gave Mad Harriet a fabulous uppercut to the chin, decking her soundly, but then realizing the winds in Darkseid's throne room started to pick up instantly, sending a cold feeling of oppressive, inescapable doom into all of the Joes, the X-Men, and the Misfits. It was like a tornado had started to grow directly inside their battleground. Blind Master's eyes widened in horror behind his dark glasses as he felt the ki, the life force, of something truly powerful, something that transcends anything that could ever truly be aware and existing. By the spirits of his ancestors, this was not even alive to begin with! It felt like…the unstoppable might of a fire god itself.

Blind Master yelled, "Something's coming! I can feel it!"

"By the Great Spirits of the Earth," murmured Spirit, his face white with pure dread, hoping that somewhere, anywhere, the gods of the world could hear his one, blank prayer. This would surely mean their death, all of their deaths.

"Darkseid, are you insane? You'll kill all of us! The Earthlings **and** your minions of Apokolips!" roared Supergirl as she managed to throw Stompa off of Colossus before she could crush him.

"Correction, you young fool: I shall rule over all of you!" Darkseid cried out, his voice ringing and booming throughout the rafters of the in a mad yet exultant tone of voice as the X-Men, the Misfits, the Joes, Batgirl and Supergirl could see the M'Kraan crystal shining brightly like a brilliant nova of energy, like a nascent sun. And the intensity of the light and searing illumination was starting to engulf the entire room of the Apokoliptic ruler, bearing down on them like the wrath and judgment of God himself.

"What is that thing?" cried out Bezerker in petrified awe as he slowly could make out a form emerging out of the core of the harsh and infinite illumination, and like everyone else in the room, it was starting to grow more rapidly by the second, building and swelling freely in a midst of flames and inferno. And to a lot of the Earthlings' collective amazements, they could hear the thing, the powerful force, emitting a long, continual cry. It was a cry that seemed hauntingly melodious, like the sound of trumpets made of the purest metals and played by the chaste lips of an angel, yet at the same time, a cry that declared much power and infinite vigor and dominance that easily could trump entire solar systems and galaxies without question.

It was a cry…of a bird.

"Oh my God!" Batgirl gasped, nearly dropping her Batarangs in shock.

"By the gods of Nova Roma!" whimpered Magma, holding her hands to her mouth in dismayed panic.

"**_Mon dieu!_**" Gambit choked, sweat beading his brow.

"Holy goddamed kats!" Razor cursed.

"_Mein Gott!_ Our Father in Heaven, saints preserve us, as of now!" Kurt nearly whimpered as he automatically crossed himself in a reverent manner with his left hand.

"Uh…this isn't good for us, is it?" Stompa asked dumbly, for once in her life, truly being a bit apprehensive and starting to lose confidence and faith in Darkseid's plans for his kingdom and for all those who lived in it. As slow and seemingly oblivious as she was, the Female Fury was no fool in thinking that Darkseid and Granny didn't always have their children's safety and well-being first and foremost in their hearts.

"Gee, what tipped you off, Bubble-Butt? The fact that we're staring face to face with some gigantic **_firebird_**?" snapped Live Wire impatiently. Undeniably, Live Wire spoke the truth. Now it was clearly evident that the spirit emerging out of the fractured crystal was a gigantic mass of flames in the shape of a elegant and powerful avian, with wings consisting of pure sunfire, powerful talons blazing with the intensity of stars, red dwarves, and supernovas all at once, eyes that were as dark, drawing and endless like the black holes, a gigantic thick neck and a curved yet distinguishable head and beak, and a long yet graceful set of elaborate tail feathers, glittering with starlight.

A colossal phoenix. A living force made from the light and darkness of all life and mysteries of space, time, and beyond. A demigod of fire. And Wolverine, Storm, Wavedancer, Scarlet Witch, Avalanche, and Jean were directly in its path, held captive and offered like sacrifices, the proverbial pure lambs to the slaughter. All six of the mutants were too scared and shaken to even move as they gaped at the brilliant force in front of them. Logan and Althea both cursed, the very blood in their veins running cold despite the heat of the fire pit and the Phoenix Force.

"Goddess, no!" Ororo screamed.

"Stormy!" roared Shipwreck helplessly, his mind trying to come up with something, **_anything_**, that could help them without endangering anyone else's life.

Shadowcat fell to her knees, yelling, "Oh no! That firebird thing's like going to attack them! It'll kill them! Lance and the others!"

"Can we stop it? Can we save them? We gotta try **_something_**!" yelled Cannonball.

"Let me! I can telepathically attempt to cease it by its inner psyche!" yelled the Professor of the X-Men as he brought his hands to his temples and tried to use his telepathy to contact whatever being he could summon and call upon the midst of fire. The ghostly, ethereal phoenix then gave out another powerful, single cry of rage as the Professor and the X-Men and the Joes and Batgirl then all screamed in unison at the furious counterattack on their minds. Even Live Wire was vulnerable to the psychic backlash.

"Aaaaahhhhhh! It hurts! **_It hurts!_**" Quinn shrieked as she brought her hands to her head and clutched her temples as tightly as she could. Even with her past experiences, this was no ordinary consciousness she had ever before come across.

"Holy son of a bitch, it's like my brain's on fire!" yelled Low Light, nearly succumbing to his knees. Surprisingly, Supergirl, Granny, and the Female Furies were the only ones who were immune to the assault on the mind.

Then to everyone's horror and astonishment, the fiery demigod then descended upon the three kidnapped X-Men and the three kidnapped Misfits. With a simple, slow motion of tossing back its head, the Phoenix Force arched, spreading its wings and sensing the eternal wells of emotion, of actual, cognizant sentiment, and like a moth drawn to a candle, the firebird drew closer to the six mutants who all had the potential and capability to absorb its might and power. To Jean and Althea's horrors, six streams of fire, branching from the unknowing, insensitive mind of the spirit suddenly snaked from thin air before plunging themselves into the bodies and hearts of Logan, Althea, Lance, Ororo, Wanda, and Jean, sending them all into new levels of pain and sensation as the universal being leafed through their very consciousness and souls as easily as flipping through a book.

It was not the least bit pleasant.

"**_AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!_**" they all screamed as one.

"Althea!" yelled Roadblock, alarmed, as he and the rest of the heroes kept fighting the Female Furies once they all quickly recovered from the intense warfare on their minds. Indeed, the Phoenix was now appearing to lose interest in Logan, Ororo, Lance and Wanda as it made its way towards Althea and Jean, sensing incredible potential and endless might and strength from these two young girls. Amazing! Such capacity and valor in such small packages of flesh and blood!

"Althea!" yelled Lance, still dazed from partially bonding with the Phoenix Force.

"Leave her alone! Don't touch Jean and Althea! **_PLEASE!_**" screamed Scarlet Witch, now sobbing and tears running down her cheeks as she then realized it could very well means her friends' demise.

"Yes!" hissed Darkseid in damning glee as it saw the Phoenix then attempt to grab Wavedancer and Jean with its talons like prey, attempting to draw the two into its very essence, but then to his shock, the Phoenix cried out in pain and surprise as some invisible force from Althea pushed it back, as if rejecting the very attempt of the god itself. By the darkest of beasts, it should have been impossible! And yet, he could not deny it; something about the black-haired hydrokinetic was preventing the Phoenix from even touching her. Yet it was not over. Darkseid then felt his fears subside when Jean, writhing and sobbing, was firmly grasped into the Phoenix's claws.

"Jean!" Cyclops hollered in dread at the background before he let loose a furious, powerful optic blast at the firebird, screaming with such anger and ire from his soul, "**_GET AWAY FROM HER!_**"

Yet the Phoenix simply screeched and gave a simple toss with one wings before the optic blast was reflected directly back at Cyclops, and had it not been for Quicksilver carrying him out of danger with his super-speed, the X-Men leader would have perished from his own attack. Now free, the Phoenix Force focused its attention on the red-haired telekinetic once again.

"**_IT IS DONE! THE SECRETS OF THE CRYSTAL ARE MINE!_**" roared Darkseid in exuberant, depraved, and wicked glee as Jean was about to by fully consumed by the universal fire spirit of the Phoenix Force…

**Author's Note: Don't you hate cliffhangers? (And don't kill me! I swear I'll update on Friday as always!) Read, review, and constructive criticism welcome! Check back next Friday for the chapter "Hell Hath No Fury" when the Phoenix Force finally bonds with Jean! Or…will it? (Wink, wink) Be prepared for a VERY big twist to the Marvel-verse (thanks again Red Witch!)**

**Althea (groaning): Why us? Why do you people love writing us and putting us in this sort of torture? You don't see anyone else's creations going through the hell we go through!**


	10. Hell Hath No Fury

**CHAPTER 10: Hell Hath No Fury**

"No!" cried Jean as she drew closer and closer to the body of the demigod, absolutely certain that if did indeed plunge into the mass of cosmic flames and galactic firestorm, she would be instantly incinerated within seconds, practically diving into the corona of the sun. Not ever her strongest telekinetic shield could help her.

It was then that Supergirl acted and performed a very noble sacrifice…

"Jean, get back!" yelled Supergirl as she then shoved Jean out of the Phoenix's talons, not caring if the energy from the tangible rings holding Jena prisoner burned her gloved hands the instant she made contact. Jean was sent flying out towards to safety before the Phoenix, startled and enraged at the interruption, consumed Supergirl into the very core of its being, and the heroes and the New Gods of Apokolips could see the young, blond-haired teenager gasp as she was drawn into the heart of the Pheonix Force.

"Supergirl!" screamed Batgirl, Jean, Althea, and Cover Girl at the same time in dreadfulness.

"**_AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!_**" howled Supergirl as the talons of the firebird dragged her into its very core, and upon the contact, the Phoenix also cried in pain. To the outrage and extreme, disappointed consternation of Darkseid, Kara In-Ze was now fully immersed into the middle of the Phoenix Force, the guardian of the crystal. Now, unsatisfied with the chosen body and still linked to the M'Kraan Crystal, he would never find the Anti-Life Equation and the Phoenix would surely kill him and his entire realm!

"Professor Xavier, you have to do something! Save Kara! **_Please!_**" pleaded Batgirl, her eyes brimming, at the man in the wheelchair. Professor X shook his head helplessly.

"I cannot, Batgirl! The Phoenix Force is too powerful for me to drive it away!"

"NO!" roared Darkseid as Supergirl cried and writhed inside the spirit, trying to fight her way out of the intensity of a thousand suns, "Damn you, you incompetent, naïve twit! You are inadequate for a host! You foolish girl! You doomed us all! Now the guardian of the M'Kraan Crystal will kill all of us because of your nosy intervention, you -!"

Then the alien leader of Apokolips stopped and stared in disbelief and growing realization when the form of Supergirl went slack, her eyes now glowing bright yellow, like shining stars, as her body was starting to stiffen and was gently caressed by the flames of the Phoenix Force, her face frozen with a blank, emotionless look. Darkseid's eyes widened as he then smiled maliciously, evilly, the truth now dawning on him.

The Pheonix Spirit and Supergirl! Of course! Even though she was not a mutant, the protégé of Superman had as much potential herself as any of the Earthling mutants he had kidnapped for the motive of releasing the infernal guardian from the crystal! So if the Phoenix was distracted with the alien victim in its clutches, then that meant…

"Yes! The Anti-Life Equation is mine!" roared Darkseid in the closest feeling he had to triumphant glee as he reached out with his hands towards the crimson precious stone, but while he was mesmerized by the phenomenon of Supergirl surviving inside the Phoenix Force, he did not see the telltale wire that shot out and attached itself to the far wall until it was too late.

"Oh no, you don't!" screamed Batgirl as she swung by and before Darkseid could even react, as she passed by the alien thanks to her Bat-Grappler, she snatched the enormous M'Kraan crystal out of his reach before he could even touch it, and despite it being half her body height, she managed to exert all of her strength to ensure she wouldn't drop it as she swung to solid ground. Darkseid was now incensed as his eyes began to glow, now fully intent on desecrating the red-haired Earthling female with his power.

"Die, you - !" but the rest of what he was about to bellow was lost as he was instantly struck by a wave of energy. The alien king hollered in rage and pain, the blue chaos magic eating at his flesh and body, ravaging his very heart of stone, before the Omega Effect ceased to flow from his body. Darkseid's eyes widened in alarm as he realized that the energy left him powerless.

"**No!**" he snarled, trying to blast Batgirl, but it was no use. Batgirl was spared as she quickly backed away from the fuming Apokolips tyrant with the M'Kraan crystal clutched firmly in her hands as she rejoined the side of Professor Xavier, standing next to him in a gesture of trust. Darkseid then whipped his head around to see to his horror…General Hawk, Trinity, Forge, and Rogue standing next to a now liberated and emancipated (and thoroughly pissed off) Jean Grey, Storm, Wolverine, Avalanche, Wavedancer, and Scarlet Witch.

Darkseid was now truly fearful and shocked, to his very core of his blackened soul, as he gasped, "You…You're all free! How is that even possible?"

General Hawk smirked as he clarified, "Since your minion, Desaad designed those energy prisons to incarcerate the Misfits and the X-Men, it was only reasonable that he would also know how to disable the rings as well."

"And it was easy for me to absorb the stuff we needed outta him," sneered Rogue smugly as she held up an uncovered hand.

"And with Rogue giving us and Forge pointers with the alien technology that Desaad designed for his alien computer networks, it was child's play to navigate through his encryptions and free our sister and her friends. And we'll make sure the notes we took will be used well to break through the technology and computer systems you designed for H.A.T.E. back on Earth with Kanto," grinned Daria, thoroughly relishing the look of dawning horror on Darkseid's face.

"My…my Omega Effect!" Darkseid gasped with disbelief before he then looked up to see a fuming and very irate Scarlet Witch, now free from her energy rings that were restraining her and building up powerful surges of blue chaos energy in her hands for a second time.

"Guess my hex-bolts also suppress alien powers as well, huh, Darkseid?" she snarled rhetorically before she then, with all her frustration and vengeance, sent a humongous wave of hex-energy at the alien tyrant.

_KA-SHAAAAKKKKK!_

**Crash!** Darkseid nearly collapsed as he was hurled against his throne, sent flying from the energy of Scarlet Witch's hex-bolt, before he collided against his stone and metal furnishings, his body now halfway buried underneath stone and bits of metal.

"That takes care of him for now," Scarlet Witch rumbled, still angry.

"But the battle's not over yet, Scarlet Witch!" Logan snapped as he pointed at the battle between the X-Men, Misfits, Joes, and the Furies, "we still gotta help 'em out! And there's no way in hell I'm leaving X23 with that heartless Granny and her bitch-squad!"

"We're on it! Yo Joe!" yelled Avalanche, pumping a fist in the air as a war cry as he and the others rushed out to battle.

"**_YO JOE!_**" yelled General Hawk and the others as they charged out. Meanwhile, Batgirl was now begging to Professor Xavier, still hoping that one of the most powerful telepaths could save her friend before she could quite possibly die under the mercy of the firebird howling before them, the winds now picking up due to the writhing and thrashing discomfort of the Phoenix.

"Professor X, there has to be something you can do, something you can think of! Please, don't let her die! You have to save her! Please, I'm begging you! Try anything!"

Charles Xavier then gave Batgirl a look of utmost sympathy and commiseration, his eyes troubled and sorrowful as he whispered, "Batgirl, I cannot do anything. I…am sorry, but I cannot save her. I cannot save Supergirl…"

Batgirl's face fell as she then turned back to the Phoenix Force, still keeping the imprisoned Supergirl within its clutches, damning her to a very gruesome and distressing end, before her face and eyes hardened with resolve. The Professor then picked up on her stray thoughts as he gasped, his eyes widened.

"Batgirl, you cannot possibly - !" he cried out, but the red-haired vigilante, still holding the gargantuan M'Kraan Crystal in the crook of one arm, then fired the last remaining hooked lifeline from her Bat-Grappler, ensnaring it in the ceiling in the spot right above the guardian spirit.

"I'm sorry," she whispered before she took off before the Professor could even stop her. Flying like the wind, the Bat-Grappler in her hands felt cold, so foreign, as she ascended higher and higher towards the very tip of the ceiling at a slight angle, now going more than twenty stories upwards before she finally reached the very tip of the ceiling. Taking a deep breath to qualm her pounding heart, Batgirl looked at Charles Xavier and smiled gently…before she released her hold on her Bat-Grappler and dove straight into the Phoenix with her hands holding the crystal in front of her.

"No!" yelled the Professor, but it was too late as Batgirl and the M'Kraan Crystal flew straight down like a bullet before she and the gem of space and time plunged into the body of the Phoenix Force. Upon contact, the Phoenix Force bayed and wailed so piercingly, everyone went nearly deaf as it arched its back and flung its head upwards, crying to planes beyond this dimension and time as it felt the M'Kraan crystal now fully crack within its body, rent into two pieces and as a result, the M'Kraan crystal began to glow before a whirlpool of essence and energy began to swirl around it, growing slowly yet surely. Batgirl, despite the heat of the flames, threatening to burn her within seconds, then managed to exert enough strength to swim through the very ectoplasm of the god itself before she grabbed on to the shoulders of Supergirl, feeling the Phoenix now invade inside her soul as well. Dear Lord, it was more painful than anything she could ever imagine! Yet, to divine intervention, the spirit prevented Batgirl from being burned to a crisp, shielding the girl with the same energy and force swallowing Supergirl, as Batgirl held on in front of her friend's face and tried her best to snap the blonde-haired alien out of her stupor.

"Supergirl! Wake up! Snap out of it! Please!" Batgirl sobbed as the M'Kraan crystal began to pull more and more towards the yawning gap of emptiness that grew from its very surface, breaking all boundaries and rules of space, time, and reality itself.

At the same time, the battle was raging even more fiercely now that Jean, Wolverine, Storm, Wavedancer, Avalanche, and Scarlet Witch were now involved.

How ironic that the very mutants of infinite power and fighting spirit that the Furies and Darkseid had intended to sacrifice to the Phoenix would be the same soldiers that would turn the tide of battle against them.

"No! Stop this! X23, stop this now!" Jean cried as she flew towards where Xi, Beast and Blind Master were trying to subdue Lady Deathstrike before she hovered in the air directly in front of the Female Fury and brought her fingers to her temples as she telepathically assaulted Deathstrike's mind. Lady Deathstrike shrieked like a wild animal as she collapsed to her knees in anguish suffering, the suffocating presence of Jean in her psyche now being so unbearable, exactly like how it felt when Granny Goodness brainwashed her earlier.

"**_Get out! Get out! Damn you, get out of my head, you witch!_**" Deathstrike screeched inhumanely as she squeezed her eyes so tightly, the veins on her forehead and temples were sticking out grotesquely, bearing testimony to the former X23 trying her best to fight Jean. Jean gently pushed as she slowly but steadily undid all the damage the psychopathic and pitiless Granny had done on the innocent. Jean just closed her eyes in pity for the girl who had no life and nothing to live for as she then lovingly and softly, like a down pillow, contacted Deathstrike through her mind.

_X23, I am not your enemy. I will not hurt you, I promise. But this is not who you are! Let me help you…please, for your father, Wolverine, and for yourself. Wolverine cares for you so much…you have no idea how much he was worried about you when he found out Darkseid kidnapped you for his own vendettas._

"What are you doing?" gasped Beast as he was witnessing this.

"I'm trying to reconstruct her mind! I'm using my telepathy and reversing the brainwashing Granny Harkness did on X23! If I managed to destroy all the mindless orders she was branded with, I think I can bring her back to her old self! I have to do it! She doesn't deserve this! I have to help her!" Jean shouted back as she managed to still tenderly bring back the mutant to her old consciousness.

"Go for it, Jean! I think it may be working! I can sense her rage disappearing!" shouted back Blind Master, encouraged, as he and Xi stood guard to make sure no one could interrupt Jean's attempt to save X23.

Meanwhile, Spirit was caught off guard as he was knocked down by a acrobatic Bernadeth, managing to catch the side of his head with a flying turn-kick, and the Native American G.I. Joe was left stunned and lightheaded, blood matting his hair, as he vainly tried to get back up from his sprawled position on the floor, his nerves quaking, as the red-eyed, green-robed woman held her knife in a stabbing position, high over her head and ready to bear down on the back of the G.I. Joe soldier.

"Die, you useless Joe!" Bernadeth hissed, but then a familiar tremor knocked her back, the ground quaking madly beneath her feet as she stumbled backwards. Spirit groggily lifted his head to see, to his relief and unmeasured joy, his son, Lance, furiously attacking Bernadeth with his seismokinesis.

"Back off, Bernadeth!" yelled Lance hoarsely, his face and vision red, his teeth bared in a feral snarl, "**_GET AWAY FROM MY DAD, YOU WITCH!_**"

"Lance…" panted Spirit, his mouth dry with a cracked layer of blood from his battle with Mad Harriet as the Female Fury then tried changing tactics as the Apokoliptic warrior was about to hurl her knife at Lance, s sure kill thanks to its homing ability, yet Toad was quicker.

"Oh no, you don't, yo!" Todd cried out in fury as his slimy yet extendable tongue then lashed out of nowhere and securely wrapped itself around the handle of the knife in Bernadeth's hands, startling the soldier as Toad then expertly relinquished the blade from his enemy. Now Bernadeth was left completely weaponless.

"My blade! Give me back my treasured Fahren knife, you slimy toad!" Bernadeth hissed, but Toad then expertly made a break for Spirit, carrying the G.I. Joe out of harm's way as he called over his shoulder.

"I got Spirit, yo! Finish off this witch, Lance!" Lance's eyes then went white as he invoked every ounce of his anger, his rage, his desire to keep his father safe, as he then knelt on one knee and touched the metallic, stone ground with his hands, his palms caressing the ground and instantly jump-starting his psychometry with the palace's terrain. Right away, the very ground bucked and wavered wildly, tossing back the Female Fury like a piece of driftwood amongst the waves of a stormy sea, sending Bernadeth to fall on her side painfully as the ground pounded on her.

"Stop! Stop it, you infernal cur! You will not achieve anything! Lord Darkseid will triumph over all of you!" Bernadeth hissed in ire and indignation as she tried to dash towards Lance, ready to pummel the teenager to death with her martial skills, but Lance was far from danger. With a rumbling boom, the ground suddenly collapsed, no longer stable and sturdy enough to maintain its hold from the powerful seismic waves ripping through it, as it was split asunder, exposing nothing but the fiery drop of oblivion towards the scorching and blazing core of the planet Apokolips itself. And this was enough to send Bernadeth flying into oblivion, and though the Female Fury managed to grab the edge of the chasm, preventing her descent, by sheer bad luck, the very rook and domed ceiling of Darkseid's throne room, also heavily giving in to the tremors Avalanche was sending throughout the entire citadel, caved in. Bernadeth looked up to see tons and tons of stone and debris rain down on her exact position.

"**_NNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!_**" shrieked Bernadeth as the wreckage bore down upon her, breaking the very floor and stone she was holding on, and Lance could hear the echoing shrieks of disbelief and fear as she plummeted into the fire pits beneath. After several seconds, Bernadeth's screams were cut off drastically, leaving nothing as she was reduced to ashes. Avalanche just looked at the gaping hole before he managed to use his mutant ability to reseal the gaping abyss, his face serious and slightly remorseful.

"You were going to kill my Dad, you were going to kill me and my friends without any second thought…I had no choice," he said softly, his voice slightly shaking; deep down, Lance would never wished to kill, not if he could help it. Avalanche then rushed back to where Spirit was slowly recovering as he woozily stood up, smiling with great relief and pride at the Misfit teenager. Avalanche was slightly surprised to see that his eyes were welling with tears.

"You came for me," Lance managed to croak, smiling. He then rushed to Spirit as the Joe firmly and gratefully embraced Lance in a fierce hug, happy at the reunion.

"As always, Lance. I said I would never leave you," Spirit said softly, stroking his son's head.

"Thanks…Dad," sniffed Lance before he got an evil glint in his eyes as he cheered, "Now let's go kick some Apokolips butt!"

"You took the words right outta my mouth, Lance! Charge, yo!" laughed Toad as he, Avalanche, and Spirit rushed towards the fracas.

Mad Harriet cackled with glee as she managed to catch Scott unaware, and before Cyclops could react, the Female Fury sunk her power claws deep into his back, right into the bone of his shoulder. Cyclops screamed, slightly cursing for not being more aware as Mad Harriet was about to ram her power spikes into the Earthling's head. But a roar from her right caused her to pause as she turned to see a fleeting image of Wolverine rushing towards her with his adamantium claws out and ready…

_SPLACK!_

"You all right, One-Eye?" Wolverine asked, allowing Cyclops to lean against him heavily, his shoulder bleeding, as the now headless body of Mad Harriet toppled to the floor. Mad Harriet's own head, frozen in a wide-eyed, glassy look of shock and surprise, was eternally etched on her face as she continued to lifelessly gaze her dead pupils to the ceiling as it rested in a pool of blood, separated from the body.

"Yeah, I'll live," Cyclops managed to groan…

During this, Blob and Professor Xavier were truly in a bind as a now recovered and conscious Granny Goodness was now trying to blast and kill the both of them with a newly acquired power truncheon.

"You dare foil my Lord and Master? You shall all die here, X-Men!" Granny roared as she kept blasting at Blob who was valiantly trying to protect Professor Xavier by blocking the energy discharges with his own body. Yet regardless of how invulnerable the Blob was, he wasn't so sure how much longer he could take, especially since Granny's second energy mace was fully functional and was set on the highest intensity for an immediate kill.

"Sheesh, get your facts straight, lady! I'm a Misfit, not an X-Man! And try tellin' us something _other than_ we're gonna die here! Professor, can't you knock her out with your telepathy or something? I can't hold out much longer!" Fred called out. Professor X was at a loss as he shook his head as the energy blast grew larger and stronger

"I cannot! Her mind is shielded somehow against my powers! I cannot even sense anything in her head!" Then Granny sent out a powerful blast that sent Fred flying back over the Professor's head before crashing against the opposite wall, stunned but still alive and cognizant. Xavier, however, was now in grave danger as Granny sneered as she aimed the head of her scepter at the leader and mentor of the X-Men.

"Farewell, my dear," she said in a deep snicker of heartless malevolence, but she was so anxious and eager to kill Professor X, she didn't see General Hawk rush up behind her with the power truncheon he acquired from her earlier when she fought against himself, Beast, and Low Light.

"Farewell, yourself, you sick hag!" General Hawk roared as he jammed the glowing head of the mace into the back of Granny's skull, the polarized end breaking through the metal plate wielded against her skull underneath her flowing, white hair. Granny Harkness then screamed as she dropped her weapon, blood now pouring out of her eyes and nose, running in thin streams, as the energy truncheon flashed, sending an intense and searing wave of energy into her brain, and to the professor and general's collective surprise, there was a faint explosion as the Apokolips matron toppled over, dead at last and her head now devoid of any hair and bone as her brains were fully exposed thanks to the discharge Hawk rammed into Granny. And after needing a second to get over their disgust, the Professor could see that in the leaking gray and red matter were…metal electronics and alien microchips.

"A…computer?" gaped the Professor as he turned to Hawk who was grim and dour.

"Darkseid replaced Granny Goodness' mind with a computer, to overcome the damage Superman did to her when he threw her against her own brainwashing machine after he broke free of the very same brainwashing she did to him and X23. Since her mind must have been destroyed from that brawl, Darkseid must have still wanted Granny to be a fully functional soldier for his army. So he must have given her a brain made from Apokolips technology and computer components so that she could still serve him, which also explains why you couldn't use your telepathy on her. After all, you can't mentally shut down a computer with your powers, no matter how much you could have tried."

General Hawk then managed to give Professor Xavier a very shaky smile. He asked with great compassion, "Are you all right?"

The Professor smiled a bit in return as he commented with ease, "Yes, thanks to you and the other Joes…"

Back at the north parts of Darkseid's throne room…

"AAAAAAAA!" yelled Roadblock as he was caught by Lashina's steel band, the lash wrapping itself around his torso and pining his arms to his sides, and Lashina was persistently trying to pump her energy from the steel bands into the Joe, killing him bit by bit.

"Fry, Joe…fry!" she snarled, coldly inexorable, but then a steel ninja star flew out and actually cut the steel band connecting to Roadblock from Lashina's hands, and Roadblock was able to break free as Nightcrawler rushed to the Joe's side and teleported the African American soldier out of danger. Lashina instinctively drew out her last steel whip from her leg as she whirled around to see a livid Wavedancer. Even without any water on Apokolips and after throwing her last ninja star she had on her person, Wavedancer was far from helpless, ninja training flooding her judgment and senses as she got into a battle stance.

"I've got a score to settle with you," Althea said simply, dangerously, with narrowed eyes. Lashina just growled before she blitzed the female Misfit, her steel lash cracking and snapping with dangerous, lethal energy. Wavedancer and Lashina then brawled in the most extreme and severe battle either one had ever faced. Lashina swiped her metal strip at Althea's head, hoping to decapitate her, but Wavedancer then crouched, ducking to avoid the weapons, before doing a sweep kick and knocking Lashina off her feet. Lashina expertly cartwheeled backwards before flailing her lash at Althea again. Althea strafed to the right before springing forward with a jab. The Female Fury whirled around, avoiding the punch and letting the black-and-blue-haired girl pass by her before striking with her weapon. Althea cried out as she felt the whip rip through her uniform and cause a deep laceration on her back, but fighting the urge to give in to the pain, Wavedancer expertly delivered a backwards heel-kick to Lashina's torso, breaking two of the Apokoliptic warrior's ribs instantly. Coughing up some blood, Lashina then delivered a jab of her own, but twirling like a ballerina, Wavedancer dodged the punch before catching Lashina's nearby face with her elbow before delivering a karate chop on Lashina's upper-left arm, breaking it. Roaring, Lashina transferred the steel lash to her right hand before successfully managing to catch Wavedancer around her right leg before jerking her off her feet, and Althea cracked her head against the floor painfully as she fell before Lashina then sent a powerful surge of energy into Wavedancer.

Wavedancer screamed as she bent her body into a fetal position, nearly passing out. Lashina grinned, her mouth stained with blood, as she whispered with sick fascination, "Scream louder, little army girl. Your screaming is so much fun…"

"Back off, yo!" and Lashina looked up too late to see Toad spew a glob of slime into her face, sticking and hardening upon contact, and enraged, Lashina dropped her whip and clawed unsuccessfully at the hardened mucus. Althea recovered quickly before she heard Toad call out.

"Althea, catch!"

The Joe ninja then found that Toad slipped Bernadeth's knife into her hands, and knowing what to do, Wavedancer roared as she rushed at Lashina right as the Female Fury managed to tear off the slime from Toad.

_Spuck!_

Lashina's eyes went wide, her body going into slight spasms, as she vainly struggled against Wavedancer as the Misfit coldly twisted the Fahren knife she plunged right into the alien's chest, between the ribs and into the middle of where the heart was. An instant kill…

"You were right," snarled Wavedancer with satisfaction, "that **was** fun." And the leader of the Misfits just looked on without remorse as she witnessed Lashina give a final scream of rage and pain as the Fury was incinerated to death, burned to a charred cadaver from the inside out thanks to Bernadeth's Fahren knife.

Cover Girl, Bezerker, and Low Light managed to subdue Live Wire, now powerless thanks to the silicone dust Bobby and Kurt managed to spray upon her, and with one quick uppercut, Cover Girl managed to knock out Live Wire, rendering her useless for the battle for the Furies. Storm, on the other hand, concentrated her attacks in front of Darkseid himself as she flew up in the air and invoked her powers.

"You wanted to use us for our powers?" growled Storm at the Apokoliptic leader and ruler as the winds picked up, "Well, let us give you foolish deviants a true revelation of the extent of our mutant abilities!"

Darkseid then heard the distant yet powerful sound of thunder as lightning flashed from outside the palace. Storm then calmly invoked anything destructive she could think of for this planet of death and strife and suffering. Cold, artic winds, hail, snow…and then suddenly, rain. The ashy clouds of smoke and choking carbon that covered the entire planet now suddenly could not help but release torrent and torrents of acid rain, falling over every single inch of Darkseid's kingdom. With Storm summoning gusts of cold with her abilities, the conflicting heat and cold clashed against each other, raising and altering the pressures all around the planet like some wildly, out-of-control roller coaster, and as a result, the sky let loose big, constant, quick, and heavy droplets of water, immersed with acid and liquid chemicals from centuries and centuries of the burning fuels and materials Darkseid's minions used in their cities. And all around, there were the cried and howls of confusion and fear from the servants and soldiers and slaves of Darkseid as cyclones and typhoons tore across the lands and buildings, tearing structures out by their roots and foundations as the ground, unable to absorb the sudden downpour, let loose flash floods of water and acid that rushed and roared and surged in speeds of the hundreds. Thanks to the rainstorms, water was prevalent and overrunning the entire surface of Apokolips; not a single area of land was spared from the monsoon and deluge. And predictably, the water, with no place to go, was starting to drain into the infinite fire pits all over the planet, the water causing a building pressure in the planet's core as the steam from the fire core meeting the water of the rainstorms began to build and build at extremely dangerous levels, causing several sections of the land to quake and rumble from the unstable stress and strain underneath.

"Thanks, Storm! I could use this!" Althea cried out as she then used her hydrokinesis to form several gigantic waterspouts to cascade and ascend upwards from the growing floods outside the palace before they came crashing through the roof of the throne room and swept away Big Barda and Stompa, distracting them heavily as they were struck by the powerful currents of water.

"All right!" yelled Bobby, realizing that the rainstorms Storm was summoning to flood all of Apokolips wasn't just helping Althea, feeling his ice powers now return, fully functional, "Now I can finally do some real damage!"

Forge then cried out as he, Trinity, General Hawk, and Professor Xavier rushed next to the teenager, "And it might help us shut down and weaken Darkseid and his armies permanently! The core of this planet's now unstable because of all the water that's evaporating and cooling it down! If this planet depends on the fire center for its power, then if we cool it down and extinguish it, it may be enough to put a real monkey wrench in his plans!"

"It's really risky, but Iceman, if you use your powers to continually send artic energy into the main fire pit of Darkseid's chambers, it may be enough to really cool things off and build up a lot of steam and pressure in the core, too much pressure for this planet to handle!" Brittany exclaimed, doing a quick calculation on her scanner.

"So what happens if we can build up the pressure in the core of Apokolips by creating all this steam?" Iceman asked.

"Um…a very big boom," Quinn finished weakly, wincing.

General Hawk's eyes were twitching slightly as he managed to ask, "Just…**how big** of a boom are we talking about, Trinity?"

Daria then winced as she clarified, "Let me put it to you this way: Darkseid's going have to rename his planet from 'Apokolips' to 'Kingdom Come'…"

"No, we cannot endanger their lives, even if they did try to kill us!" Professor Xavier snapped heatedly, "It would not be right to endanger the lives of those who live on this planet! We cannot possibly do this with good conscience!"

"But if we don't, Darkseid and that Phoenix thing is going to destroy us! And then he'll probably use the fire spirit to destroy Earth too! We can't let this problem grow, Professor! We have to stop it now!" pointed out Forge as he indicated to the Phoenix Force. The Professor couldn't argue against that. General Hawk turned to Iceman, giving a single powerful command.

"Do it." Bobby nodded as he used the now plentiful moisture of the rain pouring down upon them to change into his ice form before he rushed to the edge of the fire pit in the center of the throne room and sent a continuous stream of ice and chilling energy beams into the hellfire below. Almost instantly, the ground began to quake even more, the heaviness and compression forces now reaching critical levels exponentially.

"I'll help you, Iceman!" yelled Wavedancer as she sent all three waterspouts into the fire-pits along with Iceman's artic powers, causing the steam to push against the mantle and crust of the planet even more.

"NO!" roared Darkseid, figuring out what Wavedancer and Iceman were trying to do, but Storm angrily sent a gust of wind to send the alien leader flying back against the wall.

"Darkseid, heed my words! You may be powerful residents of alien worlds, but you are certainly not a God! And Earthlings are enough of a match for you and your shortsighted, conceited, haughty race!" Ororo shouted, rage coursing through every fiber of her body at seeing herself and her family and the Misfits being mistreated, all for the sick, twisted desire to gain power, despite the innocent lives that would have been lost, despite the callous injustice of being used like that. No, she would never be used again like the witch-doctor of her village, the Hungan, had done to her before when he kidnapped her to steal her soul. She would not let them use her, not without realizing the price. Storm would not let them go unpunished. Yet a scream from behind caused her to view upon an alarming and appalling sight.

Stompa was busy fighting Colossus, Shadowcat, Gambit, Dragonfly, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, Blind Master, Xi, and Blob, and in her rage, she brought her foot against the floor and caused another seismic tremor that sent them running for safety, trying their best to elude the powerful and deadly upheaval. But then one stray seismic wave came rushing towards Amara herself. Magma gasped as the fault-line went straight for her, ready to send her plummeting into a very deep trench before burying her alive within crushing rock and sand, yet Shipwreck was quicker as he shoved the X-Girl out of the path.

"Amara, stay back!" the G.I. Joe sailor yelled, sending the Nova Roman princess flying to a safe distance right before the ground collapsed underneath Shipwreck's feet.

"Aaahh!" hollered Shipwreck in pain as he tried to jump out of the way himself, but unfortunately, his leg got caught and due to the conflicting forces pushing the ground in various directions, his ankle and foot was slowly squeezed in a relentless vise before it broke with a faint _crack_. The Joe winced, feeling his foot bleed heavily from the broken bone protruding out of his flesh, as he tried to extract his leg out, but then he saw Artemis sneering as she aimed an arrow directly at Shipwreck's heart.

"Care to beg for mercy?" the black-haired, ice-cold goddess of Apokolips laughed as the drawstring went taut, the metal shaft in her crossbow quivering from the tension. Shipwreck gritted his teeth, hissing in pain, but he remained defiant and stubbornly quiet. Trapped, unable to move, and his Eagle pistols were empty! Damn it, he was a sitting duck!

"Shipwreck!" screamed Magma before she completely went berserk, throwing fireballs at Artemis in an effort to stop her from killing the bearded man, "Get away from him! **_Leave him alone!_**"

Yet Artemis' hound, Unus, came rushing directly at her, and gasping, Magma tried to fight the cybernetic hound before Quicksilver whizzed by and carried the X-Girl out of harm's way. The Apokoliptic Amazon still grinned as she was about to let loose the shaft; at least **one** of the heroes would die. Yet the sudden bolt of lightning from above struck the crossbow in her hands, splintering it to pieces and rendering it useless, a pile of burnt wood and metal. Artemis then looked up to see a livid and incredibly heated Storm flying above them, seething in anger.

"Hurt Shipwreck, and it shall be the last thing you will **ever** do!" Ororo yelled, her face contorted in rage as the winds began to blow even harder, at typhoon speeds, ripping and cutting at Artemis's body with chunks of ice and hail.

Artemis just scoffed as she then took out several throwing daggers from her belt before saying in a mocking tone, "Why, whatever is the matter, weather witch? Worried over your boyfriend? How pathetic that this drunkard is the best you were ever able to attract with your somewhat plebian appearance."

At this, Storm completely lost herself in her wrath.

"**HE…IS…NOT…MY…BOYFRIEND!**" she screamed to the heavens. Artemis then tried to throw her knives at the X-Woman again before she could attack, but Boom-Boom then intervened on Ororo's defense while Shadowcat clandestinely phased Shipwreck out of the ground, freeing him and helping him limp out of danger.

"Oh no, you don't!" yelled Boom-Boom as she flung several powerful time-bombs at the knives before they could even reach Storm, praying that the endless practice sessions in the Danger room had honed her accuracy. It did, and with several quick _pafs_, the knives were blasted into smithereens, which allowed Ororo to safely deliver a barrage of red and blue lightning upon Artemis, and the Female Fury couldn't not escape the attack quickly enough as she was electrocuted to death. She died without a sound, her eyes wide and white with a death look of surprise, as she toppled over, her body charred and smoking a sickeningly, sweet stench. Storm and Boom-Boom then rushed over to where Magma and Shadowcat were tending to Shipwreck's bleeding leg.

"It's got you bad, didn't it?" gasped Boom-Boom, holding a hand to her mouth. Storm didn't say anything, but she tried not to stare as she gazed at Shipwreck with worry and concern.

"Shipwreck, I'm so sorry!" wailed Amara as she wiped her eyes, but the Joe sailor managed to grin as Dragonfly, taking several bandages and two flat, wooden sticks out of her medical pack, spit several thick globs of her healing silk upon the broken and bleeding lacerations before she quickly and effectively put Shipwreck's foot in a splint as Lifeline had trained her to do.

"Hey, I would have done it again for you kids in a heartbeat, so for Pete's sake, don't blame yourselves for something I wanted to do, Amara," Shipwreck chuckled softly as Shadowcat and Dragonfly helped him up.

Meanwhile…

"Whitelighter, watch out!" yelled Razor, and Whitelighter gasped, looking up too late as he saw the last fleeting moments of Stompa about to crush him with her Gun Boots. Razor cursed, his muscles screaming, as he took off…

**_Smash!_**

Stompa looked to see that she had missed, and gazing to her left, she saw that the kat had managed to tackle Justin out of the way before he could be stomped to death by the Female Fury. As the dust and quake cleared, Jake turned to Justin who was underneath him, the Misfit shielded by Razor's body, heavily panicking and panting at his brush with death.

"You OK, Whitelighter?" Razor asked, concerned. Justin then looked up at Jake's face before he blushed a very deep red.

"Um…Razor? You're…lying right on top of me," Justin finished weakly. Razor blushed, realizing the awkwardness of the situation, his ears turning outwards away from his head in embarrassment.

"Well, why don't I send you lovebirds to rest eternally?" sneered Stompa at the Misfit and X-Man in a scorning manner as she was about to cause the ground beneath them to crumble and cave-in upon the two Earthlings, but Sunspot was faster as he flew down, using his powered mode to gain enough strength to carry a enormous stone pillar he managed to rip from one of the palace's support beams, the obelisk weighing at least several tons, as he rushed to Razor and Whitelighter's rescue.

"Hey, Stompa! I still owe you one! So how about I help you see the beauty of this pillar…**_UP CLOSE?"_** yelled Sunspot as he then rammed the end of the gigantic rock support-beam, like a spear, directly on top of Stompa's body right before crushing her to the ground. Even with her invulnerability and metallic armor, Sunspot's mutant power, due to the additional power he got from Apokolips' three suns, brutally brought the stone pillar upon the Female Fury, not caring if he was overexerting himself as he pushed with all of his might upon the figure he pinned down to the floor. With a grunt, Roberto finally managed to collapse the stone column upon itself until it was nothing but rubble, burying Stompa underneath a ton of rock and metal. Razor shot Sunspot a look of thanks as he helped Whitelighter up.

"Roberto, thank you so much!" cried out Whitelighter in relief.

"Looks like you were able to drive the point home, Sunspot," the kat smiled.

"Aaaaaarrrrrrgggggghhhh!" screamed Stompa as she managed to break her way out of the rock-pile, fists first, "That's it, you little, snot-nosed, prepubescent jackasses! When I get my hands on you three, I'm going to kick your rears so hard, your spines are all going to be growing through your skulls!"

Then an ungloved hand grabbed Stompa and made contact with her cheek, and upon the touch, the alien mercenary screamed from the pits of her stomach, feeling pain she had never felt before as a bit of her life force and psyche was stolen away.

"You first, sugah!" Rogue growled before she then grabbed the Fury by the back of her yellow and red, metal uniform and heaved her away before using the stolen ability she gained by touching Stompa to send a direct tremor into the ground with a severe stamp on the floor, and like clockwork, Stompa gasped as the floor beneath her feet sunk, trapping her Gun Boots, as the stone and metal gathered around her legs, collapsing upon itself until it held fast to the female alien's legs. Grunting, Stompa tried to extract her trapped legs out, but it was no use. She was stuck. That was the moment Rogue was waiting for.

"Now, Sunspot!" yelled Rogue and she and the sunlit Brazilian mutant flew towards the mammoth, gargantuan Female Fury as subsonic speeds, nearly breaking the sound barrier, as they used every bit of their mental and physical limits to push their bodies to the ultimate speed they could possibly endure, more than they were ever able to do so in the sessions in the Danger Room. Stompa felt a shiver run down her spine as she saw Rogue and Roberto come up to her.

"Oh damn it to hell," she cursed right before Sunspot and Rogue both delivered a simultaneous uppercut to the Fury's chin, many times more powerful than the one Supergirl gave her back at the first battle at the X-Mansion.

**POW!**

"And she's down for the count!" cheered Sunspot as he, Rogue, Whitelighter, and Razor watched Stompa go flying through the wall and out of the palace, only to go crashing into the bastion's grounds many stories below.

"Goodnight, sugah," smirked Rogue, giving a bit of suppressed laughter.

"**_NO! This has gone far enough! I will not let any of you pathetic Earthlings leave here alive!_**" roared Darkseid as he finally felt Wanda's mutant hex wear off at last, but before he could blast them all into oblivion, he felt a sudden, sharp shooting pain in his back, and he bellowed in agony, feeling his wound now bleed freely as he turned to see Jean Grey and Lady Deathstrike standing side by side and glaring at him. Deathstrike's metal claws were dripping with Darkseid's blood; it was she who had stabbed him in the back.

"Deathstrike?" he snarled in insulted outrage, "How dare you? What is the meaning of this?"

The mutant girl then screamed her one statement of liberation.

"**_MY NAME IS X23, DARKSEID!_**" she screamed as she then raked her claws across the king's face faster than the eye could blink, and Darkseid howled, clutching his face as two long, deep, bleeding gashes streamed across his face of stone and fire, blinding him as the claws had also successfully gouged out his eyes. Now injured like this, Darkseid could no longer use his eyes to invoke the Omega Effect. Jean was frowning deeply as she used her telekinesis to pick up Darkseid and slam him into the wall, pinning him against the surface.

"H-…how?" Darkseid gasped weakly.

Jean answered coldly, "She did not deserve a fate to be your slave and pawn, Darkseid. I used my powers to free her from the cruelty you inflicted upon X23 when you ordered Granny to mentally rape her in order to capture me and my friends along with trying to kill them. I managed to at least help her regain what you stole from her, her identity and what little life she had…you manipulative, smug bastard."

Darkseid then gasped as he felt his mind light on fire while telekinetic forces pulled at his body, threatening to rip him apart. Darkseid then at last knew what it meant to truly fear someone as he gazed into the burning green eyes of the X-Man telekinetic. Jean then coldly addressed him.

"I have a good mind to kill you for what you have done, for all the innocent people you and your Furies have hurt and killed in your quest to use me and my friends as some sort of twisted game for your own pleasure. We're not your pawns, Darkseid. But…I will not kill you. Killing is not the X-Men's way, and we do not sink to your barbaric level."

"Showing mercy to your enemy?" spat Darkseid bitterly, contemptuously and disdainfully, as blood ran down his face, "You Earthling mutants truly are weak, and I will enjoy regrouping and attacking you and your planet in the future once I gather my forces…"

"Cannonball!" yelled Jean. Sam powered up as Wanda then covered the X-Men's body with her hex-bolts, using the energy's abilities to alter probabilities to protect Cannonball as she yelled at the X-Men and Misfits surrounding her. With Scarlet Witch's hex-energy surrounding Cannonball, it would allow the country-farm X-Man to use his gravitational force-field to absorb and utilize any energy that came close, building up his attack in strength and potency.

"**NOW! Shoot Darkseid together!**" yelled Scarlet Witch, and as one, everyone that could fired a discharge of power as Cannonball shot out like a rocket towards Darkseid. Gambit hurled his energy cards while Low Light transformed into a being of pure energy and shot out two pulsating beams of hot plasma. Bezerker and Sunspot both shot out parallel streams of sun-radiation and electricity while Lockheed roared as he breathed out a stream of dragon-fire. Trinity powered up as they held hands and shot out a huge flare of white, psychic lightning while Wavedancer summoned a stream of water to encapsulate Cannonball. Amara then shot out a continuous stream of fire along with Cyclops finishing it by firing a single, wide beam of optic solar energy.

Like magic, all these attacks surged and combined, raising the intensity of the energy around Cannonball as Wanda's hex-bolts kept the energy from conflicting and canceling each other out. In a colorful and stunning display of liveliness, the various attacks swirled and coagulated until they were nothing more than an infinite onslaught with Cannonball using his rocketing abilities to propel the torrent of energy directly to Darkseid who was still being pinned to the wall by Jean's telekinesis as Jean and X23 scattered out of the way.

"NO!" he roared right before Cannonball and the energy combination struck him with enough force to knock-out Superman.

**_KAAAAAAAAA-BBOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!_**

Heavily injured, Darkseid went flying through the wall of his private chambers and soared away from his fortress by several thousand feet before crashing onto the ground below. Jean's voice then spoke telepathically in a snide tone, echoing in Darkseid's mind.

_Word of warning, Darkseid: we may be merciful, but that doesn't mean we're pushovers._

"I hate them…" hissed Darkseid in excruciating torture and pain, his body heavily damaged and smoking, "I hate them all! I hate them even **more** than I hate the Man of Steel!"

Considering this was Darkseid saying this, it was not a light statement.

However, things were not going well after this small victory. There was a brilliant flash as the X-Men, the Misfits, and the Joes saw the M'Kraan crystal began to pull matter towards itself even harder, like an inescapable whirlpool, a growing black hole that would surely doom everything in its path as it grew and grew.

"What…what's happening?" cried out Scarlet Witch as she blasted Big Barda through the wall, sending the Female Fury into unconsciousness, as the M'Kraan crystal opening the proverbial floodgates of Hell.

"Oh no! The M'Kraan crystal! It's completely out of control!" yelled Avalanche.

All the Misfits, the X-Men, and the Joes gazed at the scene with growing dread and fear. The enormous fire beast, the Phoenix Force, was crying madly and forlornly, as if in unbearable pain and anguish, as the firebird writhed and twisted madly while trying its very best to grab the behemoth crimson gem of the universe within its talons, yet without success. And they could all see the endless circle of darkness being born from the fractured fragments of the M'Kraan Crystal as it swallowed hungrily, wanting more to feed on, as the winds started to pull them all towards the Phoenix harder and harder. And in the very center of its chest, amidst the flames of its heart and soul, were the two heroes, Batgirl and Supergirl, both agonizingly immersed within the Force of all Life. Batgirl was screaming in pain and crying in excruciating torment, feeling the Phoenix tear through her very mind unbearably, as she still tried to maintain her hold on Supergirl's shoulders as a way to reach out to her best friend. Supergirl's eyes were ablaze, glowing yellow with the same color of the fire of the Phoenix Force, as she still maintained her stony, emotionless, statuesque demeanor.

"Kara!" screamed Batgirl despite the flames eating away at her body and uniform, "Kara, please, wake up! Please! _Damn it, let go of her!_ Let go of Kara! **_PLEASE!_**"

A voice of reason, though she had no idea of comprehending whether it was real or imaginary, spoke, echoing in her mind, **_Then release your hold on the girl. If you do not wish to perish, save yourself and let go._**

"NO!" yelled Batgirl, her resolve now intensifying as she tightened her grip around her friend, the memories coming flooding back. Supergirl and Batgirl joking on their way towards Bayville. The very first time they met when Live Wire, Poison Ivy, and Harley Quinn went on a rampage in Gotham City. The shared frustration the two felt when they were refused to join the Justice League until they had further training and time to grow. And the brutal argument at the X-Mansion that damaged their relationship and ended things on a very sour note.

Barbara would not let that happen. She would not give up and die. Not when she and Kara still needed to patch things up, to apologize, to get back together. She loved Supergirl like her own sister, her best friend. She would not let things end here on Apokolips without even getting the chance to tell Supergirl she was sorry, for everything she said.

"_I won't! I won't let go!_" Batgirl screamed stubbornly, her skin now showing third-degree burns.

Upon hearing those words, though it was largely unnoticed…the Phoenix Force stopped howling and peered down upon Batgirl, almost acting surprised at the strength the non-suitable Earthling possessed.

This feeling, this aura…

This power…

"You guys, we've got even more big trouble!" gasped Iceman as he ran up to them along with Forge and General Hawk, "My ice did too much damage! There's too much pressure in the planet's core! Apokolips is gonna blow big time if we don't get out of here!"

"But how? We don't have a boom tube! Only the Furies had that technology! We can't return back to Earth, so we're stuck here!" gasped Dragonfly, whimpering.

"And we can't leave Supergirl and Batgirl in there with that thing!" snarled Low Light as he pointed at the fire god.

"_Mein Gott_, we're done for! There's nothing that can save us!" cried out Nightcrawler as the ground began to rumble and quake even more from the building steam.

It was then that a voice spoke, ringing in all of their heads telepathically. It was not the Professor, this, the X-Men, Misfits, and Joes were certain of. The voice was different, neither male nor female, but something truly powerful, magnificent, the pure voice of a being that transcended all Earthly words and sounds altogether.

To tell the truth, at that moment, Kurt could have honestly remarked that this was the closest thing to talking with God.

**_Help me._**

"_Merde_, what on Earth?" gasped Gambit.

"Professor, is that you?" Colossus asked.

"No, it's coming from…" but the Blind Master blanched as he turned his head to the direction of the Phoenix, amazed and slightly astounded.

"No way!" gasped Iceman, his jaw dropping.

"Who…who are you?" asked the Professor softly.

**_I…am the Phoenix Force._**

"You want us to help you? Why the hell should we help you? You tried to kill Jean, Wavedancer, and the other mutants Darkseid kidnapped! You're Darkseid's weapon! You're our enemy!" Low Light snarled angrily.

**_No, Low Light. Regardless, I am not your enemy._**

"Then…what are you? Why do you need our help?" Blob asked, his eyes wide and his face white.

**_I am the guardian of the M'Kraan Crystal, the very crystal Darkseid had tried to use to his own selfish gains, and by doing so, he has managed to break the very containment that possesses the power and underlying force of all life in every moon, planet, galaxy, and universe. For eons and eons, I have protected this crystal from the hands and clutches of evil, from beings who wish to selfishly use its secrets for their own personal gain. And now that it is broken…I have failed._**

"But it wasn't your fault! Darkseid was the one who tried to break the crystal and use it to his own selfish needs! It wasn't your fault!" Xi protested.

**_Yet, I have still failed, Xi. And because of this, every living thing shall be doomed for eternity._**

"What? But how?" Shipwreck gasped.

**_If the M'Kraan Crystal is left untreated, it shall doom every living creature within its glory. Apokolips, your world, your planet Earth, your solar system, this dimension, this universe…all shall perish. The M'Kraan Crystal shall swallow them all…_**

"But that's impossible! It's a scientific impossibility! Nothing can possible swallow galaxies and universes so quickly like you are proposing!" Beast shouted, his hands shaking as the threat loomed over his mind very clearly.

**_I am afraid it IS a possibility, Beast. The M'Kraan Crystal is a gem made form the forces of life and death and the creation of all galaxies and universes, a single force that holds the secrets of life, space and time within its beauty and radiance. Yet if destroyed, the boundaries are broken, and the crystal becomes a tesseract, a place where time and space have no meaning, and as such, it was will spread until it swallows everything_**

"But can't you fix it? You've been guarding it, so you must have the power to fix it!" Jamie pointed out, hoping it was true.

**_No…I am powerless to do so. I am the Phoenix Force, a being that was created since the universe and time began, but my role was to protect the M'Kraan Crystal, to keep it elusively out of any force who may try to harness it. Yet the guardian cannot integrate with that it is assigned to guard. The crystal is a living and breathing force in itself, such as I, not just a rock that bears infinite power and control over life and death and free will. It is a rock that lives, that has a will of its own. And I cannot heal it or fix it…because it requires someone who can feel, someone who has a soul. And sadly, I am limited in this. Though I am sentient, I have no free will of my own, I have no heart, no soul. As such, I cannot heal the crystal nor stop it from destroying all in its path. One who is soulless cannot heal one that has a soul._**

It then clicked in Althea's mind as she gasped before she then asked softly, "That was why you were so drawn to us, me, Jean, Logan, Lance, Storm, and Wanda, wasn't it? It was because you've never felt emotion before, and because we are humans with souls and feelings…"

Jean answered sadly, her voice teary, "…you thought we could have the potential to bond with you and thus, give you the power to stop the M'Kraan Crystal from destroying itself and everything with it. Because that is all you desire to do. You just want to heal the crystal, do what you were created to do, and even if it meant using one of us to do it…"

The Phoenix Force solemnly then turned to Jean, fixing on her with its endless black eyes before it answered.

**_Yes…I am sorry that I had frightened you and your friends, Jean Grey, but in my desperation to heal the one I was sworn to protect, I needed to find a suitable host, one that had the potential to harness my essence without great cost to itself and one that could empower with the heart and soul of emotion. The host would be able to feel what I could not, could allow itself to bond with the soul of the M'Kraan crystal and be one with it, thus allowing me to use the Phoenix Force to heal it and make it whole again. Yet your friends, the ones you call Supergirl and Batgirl, and taken your places instead, and though Supergirl is one who also has great potential to bind with me…the female Earthling is not. And yet, despite her shortcoming, I sensed from Batgirl such strength and vigor, such heart. Even if it meant her own life, she was willing to do whatever it took to help her friend, to save her. I had never imagined that one who lacked the potential could still exhibit such inner resolve and feeling, such power that I have never felt since the universe was created. That is the one weakness of my being…I am empowered by emotion, and yet I lack the capability to understand it, to exhibit it._**

The Professor looked at the still, motionless forms of Batgirl and Supergirl in the Phoenix, both of them with the same frozen, blank looks on their faces as their eyes glowed with the same power of the firebird.

"So we are too late, then," mourned Xavier, "We cannot escape it…"

**_No, Professor Xavier. It is not too late…_**

"What? How?" General Hawk exclaimed as everyone's heads perked up.

**_I need the life force of more than what I have, presently. Though Supergirl and Batgirl are now wielded to my psyche, I cannot heal the crystal on my own. I need…additional life force._**

"That's easy, then. Take ours," Roadblock said with hardened resolve of steel as he, Blind Master, Low Light, Shipwreck, Cover Girl, and Spirit stepped up gladly, "There's no point in taking it out on the kids. If you need additional life force, then take ours. We've already fulfilled our roles in our lives and the kids still have a lot to live for, and if dying to save the universe is what it takes, we'll all gladly do it. Phoenix Force, take it from us Joes and leave the kids be…"

"Absolutely not!" protested all the Misfits hotly in unison, enraged, "If you do it, then we're doing it with you!"

"There's no sense in **all** of us dying! You kids are needed far more than us!" General Hawk snapped.

"Like hell we are! We can't do anything without you guys, and if you leave us, we'll have nothing else to live for! You think we'll allow to have our parents sacrifice themselves for our sakes? We can't live with that, that kind of guilt! We need you guys! You're our family, the only family we'll ever have!" Wanda shouted, tears pouring down her face.

"No, let me do it. I was indirectly the cause of this by serving Darkseid. Let me sacrifice myself to save you all," X23 then finally piped up, but Wolverine snarled at his female clone.

"No way! Not a chance in hell, kid! I'm not letting you put your hide out for something you think you're responsible for!" Logan barked.

The Phoenix Force then answered gracefully, **_No, I need it from everyone. From all of you, every X-Man, every Misfit, and every G.I. Joe…_**

"All of us?" gasped Cyclops, slightly skeptical and suspicious of the request.

"But…if we do, won't it kill all of us?" Althea asked the mammoth firebird.

**_No, Wavedancer. Before, I would have without any second thought of how it would affect you or those close to you…but after witnessing and feeling Batgirl's emotion and her bond with Supergirl, I can see now that my previous decision would not have been as desired. If I attempt to heal the M'Kraan crystal now, it would not be enough to save all life in this world and the next and it would be at great cost to your two friends. After feeling the pain and closeness of the two in my essence, I cannot bear that. That emotion is far too painful for me to endure, to bear, to live with for all of my eternity. But it is possible that if you, all of you, both mutant and humans of Earth, all living things, can share your life force with my aura…I may be able to do so without endangering Supergirl or Batgirl…or the rest of this universe._**

"I get it! It's like Spirit said! All living things are connected, a single force that connects every single living organism, whether you're an animals or a human or even an alien! All living things are connected by a universal force of life, of creationism, so if the M'Kraan Crystal is a living thing, it needs the energy of living things to heal it! That's why the Phoenix Force needs all of us!" Lance gasped.

**_Exactly, young Avalanche._**

"I'm so scared…" whimpered Magma as she held on to Roberto.

"I think we all are, Amara," Ray said hesitantly.

"If we do this, is it guaranteed that everything shall be fixed?" Storm asked.

**_No, Storm. Even if I borrowed the strength from all of you, it is quite possible that it cannot be enough, and we will all still fail._**

"So in other words, we either help a gigantic firebird to seal this powerful crystal to save the universe at a big risk to our lives, or we let this crystal suck up planets like a black hole and take everything in this dimension and our dimension along with it?" Quicksilver asked, deadpanned.

"You guys, of course, realize what we're gonna have to do, don't you?" groaned Sam, not looking forward to the decision they're going to act upon, as he sank his head into his hands wearily.

The Phoenix Force then spoke in a jaded tone that was the closest to begging.

**_X-Men, Misfits, Joes…everyone, please…give me your power. Lend me your life force. Help me heal the M'Kraan Crystal and save us all…_**

"Do it, then! Quickly!" General Hawk as he, the Joes, the X-Men, the Misfits, and X23 gathered in a circle, unconsciously holding and joining hands as the black hole from the M'Kraan Crystal was now growing enough to swallow half of the throne room. With a cry, the Phoenix Force raised its head as a white beam of light from its core engulfed all of them. Yet surprisingly, it was not the least bit painful as the Phoenix Spirit then bonded with all of the heroes gathered in the room.

For a glorious, rapturous moment, the Phoenix then felt the beautiful power of the human soul and heart.

It felt their pain, their sorrows.

It felt their joy, their moments of happiness.

It felt their frustrations, their fatigue, their unease.

Yet it also felt their pride, their sincerity, their determination.

It viewed the memories of love and kindness.

It viewed the nightmares of cruelty and hate and fear.

Yet there were also glorious surges of courage, love, wisdom, friendship…things that the Phoenix Force had never encountered before in its emotionless dark post of watching the crystal. It was as if it could feel itself through Supergirl and Batgirl, both of the young females smiling as their held a newly whole M'Kraan crystal, sharing it in their hands while the X-Men, the Misfits, and the Joes were gathered around the two, all of them smiling alongside, laughing and hugging each other, the crystal shining softly under their hearts.

It was then that the Phoenix Force felt the most powerful emotion from all of the mutants and humans, from all the members of the X-Men, the Misfits, and G.I. Joe, the one driving force that untied them and their dreams and their strengths.

For each other.

For a better life for themselves and for their families.

For a peaceful future, for a world where they could all survive and coexist

Hope.

The Phoenix Force then cried a ringing tone of joy as its wings enveloped around X23, Supergirl, Batgirl, the Joes, the Misfits, and the X-Men. Outside, Darkseid saw a brilliant column of fire appear from his palace.

"No!" the Apokoliptic leader screamed as there was a brilliant flash…

-000-

"Is there any way you can find out where Apokolips might be located, Abby?" the G.I. Joe ninja named Jinx asked the ex-H.A.T.E. soldier as Montoya, Bullock, Commissioner Gordon, and Maggie gathered around. But the girl miserably shook her head, weeping as the police units and special crimes divisions from both Gotham City and Metropolis gathered at the task of subduing the alien hybrids Kanto created from his H.A.T.E. followers.

"So now what do we do?" Bullock exhaled wearily, but then before anyone could answer, there was a brilliant flash of fire all around them before it collected together to form an enormous, glowing supernova, right there and then in the middle of the street in Gotham City.

"What the hell?" Maggie gasped, but with another flash, Maggie, Commissioner Gordon and their friends and officers saw a conscious Batgirl, Supergirl, General Hawk, X23, the Joes, the Misfits, and the X-Men appear out of thin air. Even an unconscious Live Wire was brought along for the tow since the Phoenix Force decided Live Wire belonged back on Earth, her home planet.

"Hawk!" cried out Maggie and Gordon if relief.

"Oh my God! We're back! We're back home! The Phoenix brought us back home!" Tabitha cried out in joy.

"Good ol' Earth!" sobbed Ray as he actually knelt down and kissed the pavement.

"Yay! We're back, we're back! The Phoenix Force brought us back home!" cheered Trinity in unison as they held hands with Jamie, Lina, Fred, Jean, Todd, Xi, Justin, Bobby, and Kurt and danced joyously in a circle.

"Supergirl! You're all right!" cried Batgirl as she joyously hugged her friend. Supergirl returned it eagerly before she nervously cleared her throat.

"Um…Batgirl? About what I said when we fought back at the X-Mansion? I…I'm sorry," the alien whispered, tears in her eyes. Batgirl nodded, sniffing and wiping her eyes, her voice strangled.

"I am, too. I didn't mean to be such a jerk about it. I'm sorry I said all those mean things…"

"Apology accepted," Supergirl whispered as she hugged her friend.

Unfortunately, the peace were not to last…

"Oh no, you little pipsqueaks, don't!" yelled Big Barda as she, Stompa, and a legion of Parademons leapt out of a boom tube out of thin air, still exact for revenge, "You aren't getting away that easily! We're still intent on making you all pay for what you did to our Master, to our home!"

Everyone then immediately sprang into action, ready for the defensive.

"I suggest you back off, Fury!" growled Maggie automatically as she and Gordon ordered Montoya, Bullock, and the officers to draw their weapons on the two remaining Female Furies and their soldiers, "We have you surrounded!"

"Trust us, Sawyer, to get back at the Joes, the Misfits, and X-Men for what they did to us, we'll gladly kill all of you!" Big Barda snarled, waving her Mega-Rod. Supergirl then had enough as she then did something completely unexpected, stunning everyone, including Big Barda and Stompa.

"No!" screamed Supergirl, and to the disbelief of the X-Men, the Misfits, Batgirl and the Joes, the alien girl was immediately bathed in fire before two majestic and stunning feathered wings of flame sprouted from her back, giving her the grand yet daunting look of a fire angel, to put it mildly. With a shriek, Supergirl shot out two intense and furious streams of actual fire from her eyes, and in an instant, the entire army of Parademons withered and died, reduced to ashes within seconds.

Everyone, including the ninjas, Snake Eyes, Storm Shadow, and Jinx, were staring at Supergirl incredulously.

"Whoa!" gasped Iceman, "When could you do **that**, Supergirl?"

"I…I don't know!" gasped Supergirl, shocked at her new abilities.

"Supergirl…you've got…totally new powers! That is like so cool!" marveled Shadowcat in shock and genuine happiness for the alien ally.

Stompa was still undaunted as she marched up, growling, "You think that's going to scare us, you little blond twit?"

"She won't, but we will!" declared a strong voice from above and every looked up for another pleasant surprise.

"No way!" Quicksilver gasped, "It's the Justice League!" Indeed, Quicksilver had spoken the truth, Landing in a formidable and stern, serious line were the heroes: Green Lantern, the Flash, Martian Manhunter, Wonder Woman, Hawkgirl, and of course, the Dark Knight of Gotham and the Man of Steel themselves, Batman and Superman.

"Hello!" murmured Shipwreck with eagerness as his eyes lit up when he spotted Wonder Woman. Storm, for a moment, shot him an annoyed look of jealousy.

"What kept you?" demanded Maggie a bit impatiently. The Flash grinned.

"We had a little problem with Brainiac while trying to recruit Static and Gear for part-time membership," he explained.

Martian Manhunter crossed his arms across his chest as he said solemnly, "You know this violates the treaty Darkseid has established with the High Father of New Genesis. We encourage you to go back and tell Darkseid that we are now fully aware of this infringement, and as such, there will be consequences."

"And can you even **_prove_** that?" sneered Big Barda, "You can even ask the High Father of New Genesis himself, and he will tell you that we have not violated that treaty in any way. We did not kill those people in Bayville, it was the Earthling, Live Wire. And we also did not invade Earth and try to conquer it. We simply escorted several members of this planet back to Apokolips. You may check all you like, but as long as Earth has not been attacked by Apokolips on a whole for the purpose of invading and conquering, then the treaty has not been violated in any way."

"How shrewd of you," Green Lantern muttered disdainfully, "now that you business is settled, go back now and leave the X-Men and the Misfits in peace."

"We will have no problem in forcing you should you still wish to fight," Hawkgirl added as she waved her mace threateningly. Big Barda and Stompa shot each other uneasy looks before summoning the boom tube again, but Stompa then growled, pointing a finger at the mutants and the Joes.

"Watch your backs, X-Men and Misfits! You killed fellow Female Furies, and we're not gonna let that slide by! Your time will come soon enough, you little brats!"

"We shall be waiting for you when it does," Beast growled with equal danger.

"Take a word of advice for Darkseid, you tramp!" growled Rogue dangerously, "Don't mess with the X-Men, Misfits, _or_ the Joes!" Throwing them a last poisonous glare, the two Female Furies left, disappearing in thin air. The mutant teenagers then started gaping and whispering at the seven members of the famous Justice League.

"Whoa! The Justice League!" gasped Fred in awe.

"I can't believe it! We're in the presence of the Justice League!" Roberto exclaimed, his eyes going wide and glassy as he and Jamie literally fawned with delight at seeing their hero, the Dark Knight of Gotham City, the Batman. Althea noted the two with a roll of her eyes.

"You two can stop drooling, by the way…"

"By the Great Spirit! Take a look at Batgirl and Supergirl!" gasped Spirit, pointing hesitantly at the two people in question, and General Hawk, Commissioner Gordon, Maggie, Montoya, Bullock, the police officers, the Joes ninjas, the Joes, the X-Men, the Misfits, and the Justice League turned to the pair of female heroes to see a truly astounding sight. Both Supergirl and Batgirl, to their complete amazement and befuddlement, were gaping at their chests in shock as two fire emblems burned brightly, hovering directly over their hearts and emblazoned on the fabric of their uniforms, one for Batgirl and one for Supergirl, and yet not even scorching the bat and "S" logos on their costumes.

"The symbol of a Phoenix!" breathed Wanda in awe. Indeed, the signs of the godly, cosmic force were two identical outlines of a firebird, spread out majestically and extending its wings and tail feathers, and Batgirl and Supergirl could only just gaze upon the marks of fire symbolically worn as badges of honor and courage over the torsos of their bodies, their faces slightly aglow with yellow and crimson light from the blaze

"So…is it over? Supergirl, Batgirl…is whatever the Phoenix Force thing that put into you out of your systems now?" Sam asked the two girls hesitantly.

"To tell you the truth Cannonball," gulped Batgirl uneasily as the firebird logo slowly faded and extinguished into thin air from their chests, "we have **no** idea…"

Then Batgirl and Supergirl noticed that their mentors, Batman and Superman, were standing in front of them, bearing similar expressions of suppressed yet building disappointment and anger with crossed arms over their chests and scowls of the deepest degree. It was especially intimidating from Batman since you couldn't read his expression underneath his cowl, having it be a mask that could send shivers down your spine from just one hard, piercing glare.

"Uh-oh…" whispered Batgirl to Supergirl from the corner of her mouth.

"Batgirl, Supergirl…care to explain to us what in blazes were you two thinking going to Apokolips alone?" Batman growled in his emotionless, cold, bass voice.

"And you have better tell us **everything** if you know what's good for the both of you," Superman added darkly.

"Um…hi, my darling and generous cousin, who I know loves me so much and would never yell at me in front of public, and who I hope is so relieved to see me and Batgirl safe that he would not even bother to punish us severely…" Supergirl meekly avoided the request in a puppy-dog eyed, baby-like, overenthusiastic tone begging for some compassion and leniency from an elder as she and Batgirl weakly _heh heh_-ed at their mentors.

Batman and Superman just glowered sternly and silently at the two girls, but if looks could kill…

-000-

The firebird of the cosmos looked down upon the group solemnly, but with a touch of gratitude. It had never experienced the emotion of joy before, but as of now, the Misfits, the Joes, and the X-Men have also touched it in way it could never be the same again, and perhaps for the better. That one shard of emotion, of relief, was something that the Phoenix could and would treasure. The god of fire then whispered its last words.

**_Supergirl, Batgirl, X-Men, Misfits, G.I. Joe…I thank you…_**

And with that, the Phoenix Force let loose a chilling yet melodious and majestic cry of victory, tossing its head back and spreading its wings before it left Earth's ionosphere and flew off to distant galaxies, dimensions and universes unknown, caressing the now intact and whole M'Kraan crystal in its bosom as it vanished in a flash of pure, beautiful light.

And the Phoenix Force and the M'Kraan crystal disappeared forever in the endless darkness of space, to regions where time never existed, in no way to be seen or heard from ever again.

**Author's Notes: Yep, that's the curveball, folks! Batgirl and Supergirl bonded with the Phoenix Force, and if you do a Google search for "Supergirl" and "fire angel", you'll find out that in the comics, she actually had new powers that consisted of: fire wings that could easily cause massive damage, flame vision which was more powerful than Superman's heat vision, and using her wings for shunting (teleportation across galaxies). I wanted to make Supergirl seem less of a Superman clone while taking a nod from the comics of her fire angel powers! I just twisted how she got them!**

**And now beware, readers! Next week is the last chapter! But don't worry! It's not the end but only the beginning! What do I mean? You'll find out next Friday! And we'll also find out:**

**1.) Who was behind this whole thing with providing the M'Kraan Crystal to Darkseid?**

**2.) Why were the Misfits and X-Men targeted?**

**3.) What's going to be the NEXT crossover? (Yes, I already planned it!)**

**Check back next Friday for the chapter, "Future Plight of the Phoenix", and until then, read, review, and constructive criticism welcome!**


	11. Future Plight of the Phoenix

**Author's Notes: I'm so sorry I'm late with this, but I got caught up at work! Hope this last chapter makes the wait worthwhile!**

**CHAPTER 11: Future Plight of the Phoenix**

"This is certainly unexpected and quite a surprising turn of events," Harry Leland of the Hellfire Club muttered as he and the rest of the group watched the events unfold from their spy-monitors on the large screen in the plush and furnished room. In their personal chambers, the members of the Hellfire Club, specifically the Inner Circle, were eyeing Batgirl and Supergirl and the Justice League with a mixture of fascination, shock, and growing, cold dread.

"I don't believe this! We were so close to being able to harness the power of the Phoenix Force! **_We were so damned close!_** The plan was practically foolproof! And now, we have failed to be able to turn Jean Grey and Althea Delgado against their teammates and coerce them into being the Grey Queens of the Hellfire Club! And now we are left with absolutely nothing! **_God damn it all to hell!_**" shouted Sebastian Shaw, so furious that he took the tumbler of whiskey in his hands and hurled it against the wall, the glass, ice, and bourbon splintering and shattering against the creamy wall. He was not alone; all the other members were displaying extreme levels of disappointment or rage. After all, they were so close, and everything just fell apart, not giving them the results they had once banked so much upon for the glory and prestige of the Hellfire Club.

"I certainly hoped you enjoyed that little temper tantrum of yours, Shaw," Emma Frost commented off-handedly but with a touch of annoying "know-it-all-ism", continuing, "That glass you have just so recklessly shattered was pure, flawless crystal and would certainly have been worth an entire month's payroll for one of your employees at a single branch of Shaw Industries."

"Bitch," hissed Shaw, his veins in his temple showing. He was so angry, he could have literally killed someone, anyone really.

The blond haired ignored the insult and sighed heavily, fatigued and laced with displeasure, as she tugged at the collar of her white, revealing jumpsuit, saying, "The future, glory and honor of all mutantkind, led by the best of the best, the Hellfire Club, now forced to rely on the fact that the one thing that could have granted us immeasurable power and made us a omnipotent supremacy is now in the possession of two inadequate girls, one an alien and one a worthless human. We cannot possibly bequeath them the offers of the position of the Grey Queens of the Inner Circle. Not only do they have ties to the Justice League, but they are not even mutants! To allow those disgraceful and uncouth girls would make a mockery of everything the Hellfire Club stood for!"

"Oh please, my dear Emma, quit being so melodramatic and drop the charade," sneered a black haired and fair-skinned, lithe External named Selene, her eyes and chandelier diamond earrings glittering maliciously in the candlelight, "You know as well as the rest of us that with the Phoenix Force failing to bond to Jean Grey and Wavedancer, it would no longer threaten your position as the White Queen of the Hellfire Club. You're simply relieved that with no need to bring in the telekinetic and the hydrokinetic, it leaves your position as the head telepath and one of the more prominent female figures in the Inner Circle unchallenged."

"And you yourself would know that feeling of relief quite well, wouldn't you, Selene?" commented General Eddington negligently, without much care, as he emerged from the shadows of the room only to stand next to Harry Leland. Shaw and several other members of the Inner Circle were less than pleased to see the Epsilon Juggler within their midst.

"You have a lot of nerve showing your face around here, Eddington!" the cybernetic Donald Pierce nearly bellowed, his face red and his white hair hanging loosely around his head, loosened from his ponytail, "It is because of your oversight that this entire mission was a failure in the first place!"

Shaw snarled in support, "I agree! We had so carefully and meticulously laid out the groundwork for our operation for so many months! **Everything is ruined because of you! **It was all too perfect! Live Wire's attacks would have drawn the X-Men and the Misfits out into the open to brawl with Kanto and his mindless followers from H.A.T.E. and not to mention been a suitable cover to what was truly Darkseid's intentions! And any mutant who could stand up to Live Wire and H.A.T.E.'s Apokoliptic weaponry would have surely been a mutant of great enough potential for the Phoenix! And with Darkseid being foolish enough to anger the Phoenix Force in his search for the Anti-Life Equation, Jean Grey and Althea Delgado would have simply destroyed Apokolips and their teammates all in one blow, which would have been the perfect opportunity for us to move in and brainwash the girls to join the Hellfire Club and with no more loose ends remaining! With two of the most powerful mutants fighting on our behalf with the Phoenix Force, there would have been no way we could lose to Cobra and Magneto! And if Wavedancer and Jean Grey turned out to not have enough potential, there still could have been a chance the Phoenix Force could have easily bonded with Storm, Avalanche, Scarlet Witch, or Wolverine instead! They were the mutants of the X-Men with the most aptitude, even more than that delusional Xavier! And even if the Phoenix Force wouldn't have destroyed the X-Men, the Misfits, and the Joes, the Furies would have easily taken care of it! And the High Father of New Genesis wouldn't have been able to send his minions to stop Darkseid since he never violated their treaty to begin with! And now look! Because of your damned incompetence, we lost everything and all our planning was for naught!"

Eddington coolly looked at the White Bishop and the Black King of the Inner Circle as he explained in a hard voice, "Oxymandias' vision of the Phoenix Force was not wrong, Pierce…just the Hellfire's interpretation of it was. He said, and I quote, '_two heroes, one from the party of the Misfits and one from the party of the X-Men shall bond with the firebird of the cosmos'_. From what we could deduce, even though they are not mutants and are not members of the teams of the X-Men and the Misfits, Batgirl and Supergirl did escort them on their quest to Apokolips, and as such, they were temporarily in the presence of both parties in order to fight alongside them as allies. Batgirl joined the party of the X-Men, and Supergirl joined the party of the Misfits, so as a result, the prophecy made by my oracle **_was_** fulfilled. Just not in the way we had expected."

Pierce then released his machine gun attachment from his robotic arm, pointing the mouth of the weapon directly at Eddington's head, ready to let loose a round of armor-piercing bullets, as he growled, "Give the Inner Circle one good reason why we shouldn't kill you and expel your probationary membership in the Hellfire Club, you bumbling twit!"

Eddington didn't even flinch as he said smugly, "Because your Lord Imperial is still pleased with my work in the plans with the Phoenix Force. In fact, he can tell you that I am still a valuable asset to this group himself."

"He isn't lying," Emma announced with a bit of resigned and respectful fear as she sensed with her telepathy five other figures cloaked by the darkness of the shadows before the second largest and most prominent figure grandly stepped out with the air and posture of royal blood, "Good evening, my Lord…"

The anonymous Lord Imperial simply nodded at the blond headmistress before he sharply turned to Pierce and barked, "Drop your weapon, Pierce. I have no tolerance for mindless violence, especially within the fact that the Phoenix Force is _still_ ours to manipulate and take, and that our operation, though sidetracked, is still in the running. Just because you planned the preparation from the beginning alongside the rest of the members does not mean you have a right to be the most outraged. Remember your place, Pierce! You are **_only_** the White Bishop, and as such, you have no real say in whether or not Eddington is a risk or a benefit to this organization! And I certainly do not care whether or not you like it, but Eddington is to remain a member of the Hellfire Club until I say otherwise! **Now drop your gun.**"

Lord Imperial's voice was absolutely bone-chilling as he uttered this last sentence in a sharpened growl. Pierce sullenly lowered down his arm, reverting it back from a weapon to a metallic appendage, yet the look on his face was anything but calm and accepting. It was clearly obvious to those observing this that Lord Imperial actually had much challenge and discord against him within the Inner Circle, and Sebastian Shaw seemed like he was also to follow suit of Pierce's frustration.

"How can you even stand there and defend this human, Imperial?" Shaw growled, conveniently forgetting to refer to the superior of the Hellfire Club as his appropriate title, "We will not tolerate such insolence, and we missed our chance to bring in the Phoenix within our grasp! Now without the power of the firebird, we will not be able to establish ourselves in the New World when the Organization and the Heartless conquer Earth!"

The superior of the Hellfire Club said simply, "A minor inconvenience, but despite the hindrance, the fact remains that the Phoenix Force is now exhibited through two individuals, both of whom are well within our capability for control and influence. And the fact that they are not from the teams of Xavier's X-Men and General Hawk's Misfits makes it all the more easier to render a full assault when the time comes. Unlike the Joes and the X-Men, the Justice League is far less experienced in dealing with the Hellfire Club, and such lack of knowledge and comprehension of the enemy will be a major trump card on our behalf. And since Kara 'Karen Kent' In-Ze and Barbara Gordon are not mutants, it shall be much simpler to crush them and their associates, leaving us to pick up the pieces and remold them into our eternal servitude."

"Not a chance, Lord Imperial!" hissed Shaw.

Pierce then arrogantly spoke, "The Hellfire Club in no way will extend membership to an alien tramp and a human bat-whore! Our associations are for the benefit for the honor, power, and superiority of all mutantkind, and aliens and humans, and we take nothing less than the cream of the crop! Any one of the other six mutants Live Wire and Darkseid had kidnapped would have been worthy of membership, representatives of mutantkind that would do the Inner Circle proud! A hyrdrokinetic powerful enough to move oceans, an Omega-level telekinetic who could quite possibly be more powerful than Charles Xavier himself, a geokinetic whose psychometry with the Earth could split a continent in two, a weather-witch who possessed power over the elements of Nature, a leftover experiment from the Weapon X program whose instincts and agility and speed are overshadowed by his healing factor and adamantium skeleton, and a mutant who could define the impossible with her hex-bolts of chaos magic! Any one of them would be better than Batgirl and Supergirl!"

"I have to concede that the Black King and the White Bishop have a point, my Lord," Harry Leland commented, his arms crossed over his bulging stomach, "Even being bonded to the Phoenix Force does not mean an extraterrestrial and a human are worthy enough in power and status to even hold a position in the Inner Circle."

"I would highly advise you to rethink your opinions about humans, Leland. They are just as capable of causing discord and pain for the right causes, not to mention having several as allies may prove to be beneficial. And the Justice League can easily tell you several of their greatest foes _are_ humans," a deep voice said smugly as a tan-skinned, powerfully striking, bald man stepped out of the shadows, startling the members of the Inner Circle, especially Sebastian Shaw.

It was Lex Luthor.

"You!" gasped Emma, nearly losing her composure for a second.

"What are you doing her, Luthor?" growled Shaw, but Lord Imperial then answered for the nemesis of Superman.

"He is to be knighted and given a position of the Inner Circle. Fellow members, meet your new Black Rook."

"**_WHAT?_**" chorused Leland, Shaw, and Pierce in scandalized indignation. Emma was simply flustered while Selene just raised an eyebrow in interest, contemplating.

"Lex Luthor?" snarled Shaw in outrage, "You're letting **_him_** into the Inner Circle, a human flat-scan? What powers does he has that could benefit us? He's not even in charge of Lexcorp anymore once the Justice League found out that Mercy Graves is now the CEO of the entire corporation during his failure with Amazo!"

Lord Imperial's voice was dangerously sharp as he barked, "I would highly advise you to watch your tongue Shaw, especially considering that without Luthor using his influence and Lexcorp, H.A.T.E. would not have been such a prominent role in helping the Furies and Desaad target which mutants from the Misfits and the X-Men. It was Luthor's technology of Brainiac that even allowed us to contact Darkseid and make the trade of the M'Kraan Crystal along with diverting attention from the Justice League by allowing Brainiac to brainwash Gear in order to keep Static and the Justice League busy. In fact, if it wasn't for Luthor, we would not have been able to acquire Kalibak along with placing Darkseid's spy, Kanto, into a primary role in H.A.T.E. which could have greatly helped us waging a strike force against the Justice League, the Mighty Ducks and the Dinosaucers."

"But Kanto still failed," pointed out Selene a bit offhandedly, "As of tomorrow, the entire world will learn that H.A.T.E. actually had ties to Apokolips and the New Gods of the Fourth Dimension, a sure scandal that will kill the anti-extraterrestrial movement instantly. The media will be in the midst of a firestorm once they learn that Leonard Tonka was actually Kanto, a spy for Darkseid. We will **never** be able to harness and manipulate the human masses now, and our spies within the Friends of Humanity say that our mission with Graydon Creed may have been more fruitless than once thought."

"Regardless, with Luthor still maintaining a high profile in the public eye and with his running for presidency of the United States, having him in the Hellfire Club would bring us new opportunities and allies to take down the Justice League, and I daresay he has earned his reward to be the new Black Rook of the Inner Circle. Along with Eddington being able to earn his role as our new White Rook as well."

"**_WHAT?_**" chorused Leland, Shaw, and Pierce again.

It seemed this was the day for unpleasant surprises. The General and Epsilon Juggler just smiled conceitedly and haughtily at the three men as he crossed his arms over his chest.

He said in a self-righteous tone, "Not bad for a bumbling twit, right, Pierce?"

"Wipe that shit-eating grin off your face, you son of a bitch!" Pierce growled, "Even if we did accept your role, which I certainly do not, **I** outrank **you** in this organization, so if anything, this just allows me to make every moment of your reign here a living terror! And you are a fool, Lord Imperial, if you think I will stand for this!"

Lord Imperial then bellowed loudly enough for his deep voice to reverberate throughout the hallowed halls of the building, "**_That is enough, Pierce! You should remember that I outrank YOU as your supreme Lord and Superior, and what I say goes! And one more outburst such as this, and I will revoke your standing and position out of the Inner Circle despite your ties to the Reavers! HAVE I MADE MYSELF CLEAR?_**"

Donald Pierce just glowered as he remained silent, but one could see the resentment and bile rising in his soul, that one sign of growing rebellion.

Emma then said in a bit of a disgusted drawl, "I do not believe this. Two humans in the Inner Circle? An alien and vigilante superheroes as possible candidates for the Grey Queens? What next, my Lord? Are you going to offer honorary membership to demons and wizards as well?"

"Funny that you should mention that, Emma," Lord Imperial smiled seductively as he snapped his fingers, and to everyone's surprise, out from the shadows stood a large, black, hulking, ominous demon-humanoid, and Emma's breath caught in her throat as she recognized the insignia of a red and black heart crossed over with a thorny "X" worn over his broad chest. The symbol of the Heartless. The figure was tall, well over nine feet, his spiky mane of wild, ebony hair brushing against the domed ceiling of the room with his red eyes glowing faintly with the power and tint of freshly spilled blood. Powerfully muscled and well-proportioned with strapping, brawny limbs and strength, the demon had no face other than his wide, pupil-less eyes, his clawed hands quivering with mystical energy and his long tail twitching a bit agitatedly.

Selene's eyes narrowed as she took in the demon. She could sense it, the infinite power that could very well dwarf her own, and it was apparent that this demon was very educated and familiar with the very dark arts, black magic and evil she only tinkered with but never once had the nerve to practice without having it consume her fully as a price. Yes, this was going to one she would keep her eye on…

"And who are you?" Lex Luthor asked, slightly frowning but his heart was beating a bit rapidly with intimidation underneath the cool façade. The demon turned to Luthor and rumbled in a grating, unearthly voice of coldness and soullessness.

"**_My name is Blackheart…that is all you need to know…_**"

"And what is **_he_** doing here?" Selene asked Lord Imperial, her voice hard at last with suspicion.

"He was sent by Marluxia and the Superior of the Thirteenth Order in order to further ensure that our plans with the Heartless do not meet the same hindrance as our previous plans with the Phoenix Force. Just because I tolerate this setback doesn't mean that the Superior will tolerate a similar turnout with our new plans. He will be a probationary member of the Hellfire Club along with two of our newest recruits for our cause…"

"You!" gasped Pierce as the last remaining two figures stepped out of the shadows, revealing themselves in the light of the diamond chandelier above, "I don't believe this! You expect these two to be of any use to us! Even the Batman, a pathetic detective without any sort of mutant powers, could easily defeat these two!"

"You must be joking, my Lord," Emma groused slightly, "The Hellfire Club can certainly handle the Joes, the Misfits, and the X-Men without their help."

"I beg to differ, Ms. Frost," Slade, his black and copper mask emotionlessly displaying his one good eye, said with smug amusement as he and Brother Blood stepped out of the shadows, standing side by side, "After all, you and your so-called elite team of Hellions could hardly brag that they themselves have come any closer."

"And let me also warn you, Mr. Pierce, that it is dangerous to underestimate the Justice League like you have previously done with G.I. Joe," Brother Blood said in a stony, almost amused, sort of voice, "Even though some of the members of the league are not blessed mutants by the X-Gene, some are even far more powerful than you can even begin to comprehend from the single twist of DNA mutation. I daresay that even Batman himself could take you out despite your robotic advancements, and that is no laughing matter. Keep in mind, it is neither the powers nor the abilities that makes an enemy dangerous."

"Of course, you yourself should know after your excursions and loss to the Teen Titans," sneered Emma, "How pathetic that a powerful headmaster of an entire academy along with an expert in the dark arts cannot even handle a group of prepubescent teenagers."

"Said the pot to the kettle," muttered Pierce aloud, "except the only difference is that you happen to have **less** skills than Brother Blood here."

Harry Leland then gave a half-smile as he said to Brother Blood, "I see that you finally regained a new body after your failure with the Titan, Cyborg." Indeed, one could note that though Brother Blood managed to keep his head with slick, combined white hair, the rest of his body below his neckline was grotesquely foreign, non-human, and almost ape-like with oversized gargantuan hands and feet, a large, well-toned chest of steel, and it wouldn't have been much to surmise that he also had the gifts of super-strength, agility, and endurance as well. Brother Blood smiled.

He replied, "Thanks to General Eddington, of course. And since all the Jugglers were interested in using whatever's left of Kalibak's body for 'Operation: _Shaggy Man_', it was only natural that they needed a willing test subject. And this is certainly a more noticeable improvement, my dear Leland. In fact, I daresay it is far better than the robotic body I had for a short while based on Cyborg's own designs."

Slade then spoke, "And since our next target is absolutely vital to your plans, Lord Imperial offered Brother Blood, myself, and my master a very generous offer with the Thirteenth Order if we served the Hellfire Club. After all, considering you shall be dealing with the Teen Titans soon, there is no reason why we cannot offer our talents for this procedure."

"I don't agree!" snapped Shaw as he growled accusingly at Brother Blood, "Need we remind you that your dear half-brother, Jason Blood, carries the demon Etrigan, and if he should ever find out that you have joined the Hellfire Club, he'll obviously no doubt go running to Batman, and now that he and his bitch, Batgirl, are allies with the X-Men and Misfits and G.I. Joe, they'll come down on us and come down hard! And if Jason Blood should ever be angered enough once he and the Justice League discover our involved role in the Phoenix and the upcoming role in the Thirteenth Order and the Heartless, the Hellfire Club will be in grave danger! Powerful, we may be, but to have the demon Etrigan, the X-Men, the Misfits, the Joes **and** the Justice League determined to make us pay for trying to screw around with them is something we would all rather avoid! And God only help us when the Teen Titans and Teen Titans East come into play once they discover Slade and Brother Blood are alive and members of the Inner Circle! To have **_six_** different teams to come gunning for our blood would certainly be disastrous, Lord Imperial!"

"Why whatever is the matter, Shaw?" drawled Selene with a cat-like smile in a condescending manner, "Afraid of them, are you? I thought you had more faith in the influence of the Hellfire Club than to feel threatened by a simple gathering of heroes. No matter what we do, those fools cannot touch us nor do anything truly to set us back."

"Don't get cocky, my dear Selene, for it will be your downfall one of these days. Just because we are rich and we are powerful doesn't mean we are untouchable, especially if we ever succeed in making **_them_** angry enough! And keep in mind, you _yourself_ have fought and lost against Batman personally when he, Dr. Fate, Etrigan and the Charmed Ones stopped you and the other Externals from completing the rituals during the High Lord Ascension! You look down on me for having foresight and caution? **_Ha!_** It is far more pathetic to view the fact that most of an entire **_army_** of Externals were vanquished and killed by a worthless human vigilante, a senile wizard, a single demon, and three Wiccan sisters! The powerful Externals, defeated by _non-mutants_? Your arrogance and pompousness over your enemies has blinded you, Black Queen! In fact, that is the primary reason why our previous Black Rook was killed, no thanks to your lack of prudence!" Shaw snarled back warningly.

Selene's eyes narrowed as she growled back, "I underestimated the Batman, and I shall assure you, my dear Shaw, that had our roles been reversed, you would have found it just as difficult! And it will not happen again!"

"I will help you make note of that vow, Selene," Lord Imperial said, his voice thick with doubt, "Now enough of this bickering. We must now discuss preparation for our new and next venture."

All beings in the room gathered around the table, watching the monitor as they listened to their leader, intrigued.

Lord Imperial then said, "First, we will have to pull out all connections, both financial and public, to H.A.T.E. and the Friends of Humanity. We need to maintain our image that all of the enterprises linked to our organization were innocent and legitimate businesses that were caught in the lies about H.A.T.E.'s credentials. Send out public statements that we had no idea about '_Tonka's_' real origins to Apokolips and that the boards are thoroughly shocked at this betrayal of trust."

"Already done and done, my Lord. I am sending a telepathic command to my secretary and giving her the order to contact all our head CEOs and COOs to issue their press conferences with the media via their spokespersons," Frost replied automatically.

"Luthor, be sure to use your spied in both the Special Crimes units in both Gotham City and Metropolis to continue to give absolute reason for the cities' councils to forcefully resign Maggie Sawyer and Jim Gordon out of their positions as Chief and Commissioner. If we need to establish ties to the Hellfire Club in those two strongholds of power, we must do it without those two and their loyal officers. Plus, it would be a great addition that such a resignation will unhinge Gordon's daughter, making it easy for her to play into our hands."

Luthor nodded. Lord Imperial then turned to Slade and Brother Blood. He said solemnly, "Do you two have your orders?"

"Yes, and we are ready with our plans with the Teen Titans and H.I.V.E," Slade answered.

"Excellent. We will also need someone to look for the source of the Nexus and to further hone our plans for dealing with the Charmed Ones."

Selene stepped forward as she hissed with promised, bitter vengeance, "I shall take that responsibility, Lord Imperial. I have a score to settle with the damned Halliwell sisters…"

"You shall share that duty with Blackheart, Selene," Lord Imperial issued, his tone a bit dangerous, "After your failure with the Charmed Ones from the _past_ escapade, Blackheart will be able to ensure that this mission with the Nexus goes without possible error."

"I work **alone**, Lord Imperial," Selene warned, her voice echoing with power from her rising irritation at the superior's gall.

"Yes, and look where that got you and the other Externals. Remember Brother Blood's word of caution, well, Black Queen. Just because one is not a mutant or an External does not mean they cannot defeat you." Selene's face turned red with vehemence and furious wrath, but Blackheart just looked on stonily, his eyes never once flickering. It was apparent he was not scared of Selene.

"And the Cadmus group? Have they fulfilled their part of the bargain?" Lord Imperial asked as he shot Eddington a look.

"The necessary cloning equipment and laboratories are already completed, active, and ready for the experimentation of the first subjects. 'Operation: _Shaggy Man_' has now gone underway thanks to the acquisition of Kalibak. And they have already shown possible interest in using the Misfits for such devices in the future, and General Hawk and his damned Joes will not be able to stop them shall they ever find out. And they will be very interested to hear about Supergirl's new abilities, especially with Galatea being close to full active duty."

"Excellent…esteemed members of the Inner Circle…I do believe we have now developed higher priorities for our efforts in harnessing the power of the Phoenix spirit. Focus all our resources for the Gathering of Twilight on our new targets and abandon all our original plans with Xavier and his Institute. Begin **_Operation Kingdom Hearts_**," the mysterious and anonymous Lord Imperial of the Hellfire Club said as all the members, Luthor, Slade, Brother Blood and Eddington watched the screen with Batgirl and Supergirl smiling triumphantly amongst the gigantic, feathered, flaming wings protectively enclosing around them.

-000-

_The Gathering of Twilight…_

Raven snapped out of her meditation stupor atop of the Titan Tower, gasping. It was already past midnight, and the wind-chill of the dark night was frigid, even artic, yet it was nowhere as cold as the fear that stabbed through her upon that one second of clairvoyance during her period of internal balance. The half-human, half-demon telekinetic shivered slightly as she fought the urge to draw her cloak around herself for some sort of comfort, forcing her consciousness to suppress the feeling of surprise and fear that struggled to manifest itself in her psyche. She couldn't afford to let her emotions and feelings get out; she needed to prevent her powers from going completely out of control.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos… Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos… Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos…" she murmured in a monotone voice, the chanting bringing back a familiar feeling of stoic stoniness.

Yet, that surge of building power. That glimpse of unlimited darkness. The impeding feeling that something, something awful, something big, something destructive…was coming.

"The Gathering of Twilight…" Raven muttered to herself, bringing a hand to her cheek in worry, unsure what it meant or why she came up with the words.

-000-

"_This is Trish Trilby of Channel 6 News_," the reporter spoke on her live video feed to her station, her face slightly red and leaving the reporter breathless with excitement as she took on the brilliant and shocking news flash, "_Recent developments reveal a shocking truth about Leonard Tonka as it has now been proven, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he is actually Kanto, a spy for the alien world of Apokolips and a loyal servant of the extraterrestrial leader, Darkseid, who if you remember was behind two sieges against the city of Metropolis several years ago…_"

"_It is now apparent that Kanto has attempted to use H.A.T.E. as a maneuver to destroy and attack Earth and its defenses from the inside out…_" another reporter said calmly from a distance, allowing his cameraman to get a good shot of the mutated aliens who were once former human followers of Kanto and H.A.T.E. being led into special medical transports by a mass of officers from Gotham City, Metropolis, and G.I. Joe.

"A _Hector Rameriez exclusive!_" the said reporter declared excitedly with great glee and over-hyped excitement, "_In a surprising twist, the vigilante and army teams of mutants known as the X-Men and the Misfits had aided the police squads led by Commissioner James Gordon of Gotham City and Chief Maggie Sawyer of the Special Crimes Units of Metropolis to help combat this sudden alien threat…!_"

"_Conspiracies and crimes in the headquarters of H.A.T.E.? We'll report more with what had been discovered in the search and seizures of all buildings associated with the group at eleven!_" one male reporter announced on camera.

"_This just in…_" one woman from MSNBC said, holding the earpiece to her transmission firmly to confirm that she was being given the signal to report the fact radioed to her, "_It is confirmed by Graydon Creed himself that the Friends of Humanity has now fully pulled itself out of standing with the group H.A.T.E. as well as all their financial backers. This ruin comes to of no surprise…_"

"Get a good shot of those mutates from H.A.T.E., Jimmy," Lois Lane whispered fiercely while jotting notes for her article as record speed, standing smartly in her white skirt and purple business suit, "I swear, this is too good! Perry's going to have to give me my own front page by-line when this is all over! And I can't wait to see the look on that prick, Graydon Creed's face when he realizes he's been associating with the Apokolips!"

"Not a fan of the Friends of Humanity, I take it, Lois?" grinned Jimmy Olsen as he took several shots of the X-Men and the Misfits discussing quietly with the Justice League, Sawyer, Commissioner Gordon and the Joes. Already, many reporters and journalists were clambering and wildly shouting for exclusive interviews with the heroes and mutants, desperate for a line or two, but a blockade of Joes and officers kept them at bay, giving the warriors their privacy. Lois smiled.

"Why, whatever gives you **_that_** idea, Jimmy?" she asked a wee bit too innocently.

"Because of the comment he made about you being the ugliest of 'freak lovers' since you only wanted to be, and I quote, 'boning with the alien Man-of-Steel who couldn't have gotten more pathetic by being run down by a hen-pecking, leg-spreading Jezebel of a woman reporter' recently in _Newsweek_?"

"You make it sound like I'm the **only** one who could have set fire to Creed's personal limo."

"What about the time when you jammed the taser in his groin area during the ribbon-cutting ceremony of H.A.T.E.'s headquarters in Metropolis?"

Lois protested hotly, "**_That_** was an accident, and until the police prove otherwise, I'm sticking to that statement! And besides, he only needed physical therapy for a month!"

As Jimmy kept taking pictures, a silver blur appeared beside the photographer for the Daily Planet, posing with dripping conceitedness. It was Pietro, hamming it up as usual.

"Over here, please! Be sure to get my good side of the fabulous Quicksilver, the Misfit who single-handedly defeated the Female Furies and Darkseid in his quest to stop the residents of the Fourth World from conquering the Earth!" the speedster declared, posing like a model.

Jimmy happily obliged (and what news photographer would pass up _this_ chance?) as Lois then leaned in, her pencil ready to jot down a written quote. She asked with interest, "Any statements from the Misfits or the X-Men or the Joes?"

Pietro's eyes lit up eagerly as he delicately took Lois Lane's hand, like a gentleman, and kissed it with grace, wiggling his eyebrows as he said, "No, but how about just you and me, in Paris, sipping glasses of Chardonnay and eating risotto by the candlelight of a table next to the Eiffel Tower?"

Lois Lane, despite her annoyance rising, managed to laugh at the joke with good humor, chuckling, "Sorry, but I don't date kids, Quicksilver."

"Especially since she could have a real man like me!" grinned the Flash as he zoomed by before kissing her hand in the same manner as Pietro did, his grin so wide, it threatened to split his face, as the Flash continued, "How about you and me for a romantic getaway at the coasts of Hawaii, martinis, coconut lotion and hula-dancing galore? I look pretty damn sexy in a grass skirt, Ms. Lane."

"You mean pretty scrawny!" sneered Quicksilver as he stood his ground, shoving the Flash a bit to the side. The Flash's eyes narrowed at the challenge as he went toe to toe with the albino Misfit (and Pietro was steamed that his full height could only reach up to the Flash's chest)

"Oh please, like I could ever get shown up by some skinny little hummingbird! Word of advice, short-stuff! Leave the real heroics to the manly men!"

"**_You?_** A hero! **Ha!** As if! You look like a knock-off from '_The Incredibles_' movie!" Pietro derided.

"Hey, I'm the number one speedster on the planet!" the Flash protested.

"No, I am!" Pietro barked.

"No, **I** am!" the Flash growled.

"Are not!"

"Are too!"

"_Are not!_"

"_Are too!_"

"**ARENOTARENOTARENOTARENOTARENOTARENOTARENOTARENOTARENOT…!**" yelled Quicksilver with in his super-mode.

"**ARETOOARETOOARETOOARETOOARETOOARETOOARETOOARETOOARETOO…!**" yelled the Flash in _his_ super-mode at the same time, trying to outshout the Misfit in the typical childish brawl.

"And these two are _how_ old?" groaned the Green Lantern with his head in his hands, trying hard to not try to pound his head against the nearest wall from the sounds of the bickering that remarkably was more annoying than a screeching Alvin, Simon, and Theodore of the Chipmunks on narcotics.

"Oh dear God, there's _two_ of them!" groaned Scarlet Witch, covering her ears with her hands to block out the sound of the annoying chatter that was slowly driving her insane.

"It's my worst nightmare come to life!" wailed Rogue.

"Um…Remy thought seeing all those Kitty clones when they got together with the Lance and Peter clones from Mojo's dimension was your worst nightmare come to life, _cherie_," Remy pointed out a bit.

"**THIS** trumps **_THAT_** nightmare any day of the week! A bunch of Kitty clones, I can handle, but **two** Pietros! I might as well slit my wrists now, swamp rat!" Rogue snapped, her right eye twitching, as she grabbed Gambit's collar of his trench-coat and brought his eye level with hers so that she could scream this statement directly in his face.

"Looks like the reporters are having a field day with the news of Tonka really being a spy from Apokolips," whispered Maggie as she glanced at the crowds.

"Still, it is a bit to our advantage," Beast commented, "This is a sure and crippling blow to H.A.T.E. and the anti-extraterrestrial movement to say the least."

"I daresay it may not be, Beast," sighed Martian Manhunter as he finished using his telepathy to probe Batgirl's mind, "Even though H.A.T.E. may crumble, the fear and loathing against all extraterrestrials and beings that are not originally from Earth will not fade away, but rather, it will resurface again in other forms. I will not be surprised if other branches and factions of H.A.T.E. emerge elsewhere."

"Any indication of what the Phoenix Force did to Batgirl as well, J'onn?" Superman asked a bit worriedly, casting a glance at the red-haired protégée of Batman while also glancing at Supergirl who was obviously excited as she chatted with Lina, Jamie, and Althea and the Triplets, truly joyous at her new powers. Batman just looked on silently, stony. The green-skinned alien from Mars sighed as he removed his hand from Batgirl's nervous head.

Martian Manhunter explained, "Since Batgirl is biologically different from Supergirl, her life force and being was touched differently by the Phoenix Force from the M'Kraan Crystal. The basics of it is that she will not sprout wings of fire and have fire vision like Kara, but my telepathy can sense something foreign inside Batgirl's consciousness and psyche, one that is deeply rooted and is now a part of you. I am sorry, but I cannot see any way to remove this; it is a physical impossibility considering that the Phoenix Force is not a simply entity. And I have no idea of how the Phoenix Force may change you."

"So…it's a given that I'll change because the Phoenix Force bonded with me?" Batgirl asked, shivering as she held her elbows grimly. J'onn nodded.

"Affirmative. Just what sort of powers that will arise due to the Phoenix Force, I am a bit unclear on. I am sorry, Batgirl, but we have no idea how it shall change you, but for now, all we can do is wait. I am truly sorry that I cannot help you, but even with my abilities, I'm powerless against dealing with this type of entity in the mind. By the red planet, nothing such as this has ever appeared within the millennia of my race's existence!"

"But how bad could is possibly be?" Bullock as blithely, "So the Batgirl's gonna get a few new powers sometime down the road. Hey, it's not exactly a bad thing, especially since I think this is really a case of looking like a gift-horse in the mouth."

"_Aye Carumba!_ Harvey, be quiet!" snapped Montoya, giving Detective Bullock a light smack upside the head, but then Superman patiently explained.

"The problem is, Detective Bullock, Supergirl having powers of a fire angel may be all right for her physically because she has the strength and defensive capabilities well beyond most mutants and humans, but emotionally, it is worrisome and foolish to not expect this event to easily twist and warp their minds, perhaps even disturb them mentally and leaving them no peace of mind. Batgirl, not being as strong and hardy as Kara, may not be able to handle strange powers and abilities bequeathed to her when they arise. It was physically and mentally destroy her. And keep in mind, we still think this was all planned, so whoever distracted us with Brainiac and sent the Furies to target the X-Men and the Misfits, they are fully aware of this, make no mistake."

"That's right," murmured Commissioner Gordon, "We still have no idea who helped Kanto establish his ties in H.A.T.E. nor do we know how Darkseid even got the M'Kraan Crystal in the first place."

"I know," Ororo said with much unease, "Should the public ever find out about the Phoenix Force bonding with Supergirl and Batgirl, it could attract the unwanted attention of those who were not involved in this scheme but still wish to bring about much harm and danger to them and the Justice League. Can you imagine what organizations such as Hydra or Cobra would do if they discovered about Batgirl and Supergirl and how they may gain new powers?"

"It won't happen." Everyone looked up to see Batman, his mask hiding the emotions of helpless rage and building anger inside him, but those who knew him well could discern that underneath his emotionless, calm demeanor, he was absolutely bent on making whoever did this pay with their blood. It was really not that difficult to arrive to that conclusion; Batman cared deeply for Batgirl, as if she was one of his own children.

"It won't happen. We _will_ find out who was involved with this, and we _will_ stop them before they get any further."

Cover Girl and Maggie Sawyer shivered at the ice-pricks underneath his voice of razor-sharp steel. Any promises the Batman made were **anything** but idle. The Professor then wheeled over, his kind and worn-down visage showing much concern...and hope.

"Perhaps I can help at last for what you and Supergirl have done for me, the X-Men, and the Misfits, Batgirl," he said quietly, "I am quite experienced in dealing with the mind, and though the traces of the Phoenix Force cannot be erased, I can silence them, seal them into your unconsciousness so that they will not trouble you and that you will no longer be aware of them. In other words, I can set up a mental block so that I can suppress the presence of the Phoenix Force in your mind so that they will not come as strongly or as soon until absolutely necessary when they do emerge. I can't stop it, but I **_can_** soften and delay it."

Wonder Woman saw the Batman give the slightest of nods, and she knew that the Batman didn't agree to anything unless he knew it was vital and that the person who was making the offer could be considered trustworthy, and she said, "I think I shall speak for all of us when I say that you have our consent to do what you must, Professor Xavier."

Professor X nodded as he gently laid a hand on Batgirl's temple and let his mutant power gently rearrange the psyche and structural organization of Batgirl's mind and brain, his presence as soothing as a gentle, cool breeze on a hot summer day. Batgirl almost felt like floating; it was so pleasant. And though the Professor and Batgirl could now see the firebird crying majestically within the black void of her consciousness, the mentor of the X-Men allowed his power to lull and lay the Phoenix to rest, as like a baby, the spirit of fire tucked its head into its wing and slept peacefully, no longer trying to break free through Batgirl's soul, and like a scene from a sci-fi film, Barbara could see the silvery astral projection of Professor X smiling as he gently brought a finger to his lips and shushed the chaotic thoughts jumbled in her head as walls of wood and brick emerged all around the Phoenix Force in her head, softly closing a series of sturdy yet elegant wooden doors. The Phoenix Force was now at a peaceful rest, tucked behind many walls, no longer a vivid memory, but rather, something that was already beginning to fade away from her dread and nervousness.

And then Batgirl snapped back to consciousness, gasping a bit. The Professor of the X-Men smiled sadly at her as he brought his fingers together.

"That is the best I can do, Batgirl. All we can do now…is wait," he confessed. Batgirl shook her head, starting to cheer up a bit.

"Thank you, Professor. I…I think it's not as dominating in my mind anymore. In fact, I can barely even tell it's in me. Thank you."

"And you have our thanks as well," Green Lantern said before he, Hawkgirl, and Wonder Woman handed odd, metallic communicators to Professor Xavier, General Hawk, Maggie Sawyer, and Commissioner Gordon, all of them very futuristic and intricately complex with electronics and technology not very wide-stream in human society, displaying the Justice League logo.

"What's this?" Montoya asked, her eyes lighting up in curiosity.

"Special communicators that can ONLY reach us in person and at the Watchtower," Green Lantern explained, "After this fiasco, we're not going to let this kind of oversight happen ever again. Unless we are completely incapacitated, these communicators we gave to you four will directly link to the Watchtower's communications as well as the contact equipment we have on our persons. In other words, with these, you will be able to directly contact us in any dire emergency. We will also use this brief each other to give warnings and heads up of any future trouble."

"In other words, think of it as a sign saying that Commissioner Gordon, Maggie Sawyer, the X-Men, the Joes, and the Misfits are now honorary members of the Justice League and as such, they will have our full support and allegiance should you ever need us. Or if we should ever need you to help us deal with Magneto, Cobra and the other threats that we are not accustomed to," smiled Wonder Woman with sincere promise and compassion.

"We could always use the additional help," Hawkgirl supplicated.

"Wonder Woman…this…wow, it is a great honor!" gasped Maggie.

"You have our word that we will take this with much seriousness and pride. We will not give any reason for you to regret this," Blind Master said strongly.

"See that you don't," Hawkgirl said shortly.

"Thank you, my friends," Professor Xavier said as he and General Hawk and Superman shook hands, sparking a new, powerful and formidable bond for the X-Men and the Misfits.

Meanwhile, other branches of friendship and reconciliation were also starting to take place…

"Um…Jake?" a meek voice asked hesitantly. Razor turned around to see Lina and Justin facing him. Justin blushed furiously, but an elbow by Lina prodded him to say what he wanted to say.

"Um…I…thank you, Jake…for saving me back at Apokolips with Stompa," Justin nervously murmured.

Jake felt his ears flatten down against his head as he blushed, embarrassed, though he had no idea why as he replied, "It was nothing. I was just returning the favor back at the carnival. You saved my life back then, so I was simply returning the favor."

Justin smiled as Lina gave the kat a very wry look of humor.

"You know Lina, both you and Justin are welcome to join the X-Men if you would like to. We would be happy to have you there should you wish for it," Jake offered softly. Lina's face fell a bit, disappointed that Jake was still attempting it.

"Jake, you know we all want the fighting to stop between both our groups, and maybe, things are better if we remain with the Misfits. I love Cover Girl and the others like my own family, and…and I don't want to leave them. The X-Men are good, but…well, it's sort of like us asking you to leave the X-Men to be a teacher for the Misfits instead. It's not worth it when we're already content with the way things are," Lina pointed out.

"And after the talk about aliens when the X-Men argued with Supergirl back at the X-Mansion, I think it might be better for me to stay with the Misfits too," Justin added, shivering a bit. Jake looked at Whitelighter quizzically, and the chubby teen caught the questioning gaze.

"It's complicated…for personal reasons," Justin politely answered. Razor nodded, leaving it at that.

The kat then smiled as he then said, "But…regardless of us being on different teams, I know the X-Men will be there for the Joes and the Misfits if they really need help. And no matter what, I'll always see you two as the kittens who selflessly helped me and Bobby when we were injured in battle. I'll be there for you two and for your family should you need me. I mean, paw and tail, I'm already starting to warm up to Lance, Fred, and Althea."

"But not Trinity?" teased Lina. Jake groaned as he rolled his eyes.

"Tell them to stay the hell away from the Aquain and to get rid of the _Neuterator 3000_, and I'll consider it."

Meanwhile, Cyclops and Jean (now completely healed along with the rest of the abductees thanks to Lifeline) was talking with Supergirl. Kara glared at Scott, but Jean had a sincere look of gratitude on her face as she held Supergirl's hand.

"Supergirl," she said, her voice slightly quaking, "You saved me back there. You saved me and took the bullet for me when the Phoenix Force was about to merge with me, and instead, you took my place, even though it could have cost you your life. I…I can't ever repay that debt, but…thank you. Thank you for being such a noble person, even though Scott insulted you and Superman. Thank you."

Jean was sniffing a bit, but Kara smiled as she hugged Jean with the ease of a best friend, stating, "All in all, what's done is done, and besides, nothing bad happened, so in the end, everything turned out OK. Besides, now I've got cool powers! I can't wait to try 'em out to the full potential! So if anything, this is really great!"

"Still…" and at this, Scott coughed agitatedly before mumbling shamefacedly, "I…I'm sorry. I was being a…a…"

"A bigoted twit?" Jean and Kara filled in at the same time before they glanced at each other and giggled at the uncanny timing. Scott then turned beet-red.

"Jeeeeeaaaaaaannnn!" he whined.

"Is he always **this** uptight?" Supergirl asked. Jean leered a bit scandalously.

"Girl, I can tell you stories that no one else knows. Did you know he once planned acceptable, timed intervals of when to use to the bathroom so that he wouldn't need to go in the middle of his Danger Room training?"

"Jean, how could you? That's private!" Scott bellyached, humiliated.

"I think we're going to be good friends from now on, Jean," chortled Supergirl as she and the red-haired telekinetic draped their arms around each other shoulders.

In the interim, Lance was trying to talk with Kitty…

"Kitty, you…you went out of your way to help me, to save me when I got captured by the Furies. Does…does that mean - ?" Avalanche began, but Kitty backed out of Lance's reach, feeling her stubbornness spring up even though it was breaking her heart.

"Lance, I like made my choice! I chose Peter over you, and like, the only reason I went to Apokolips was because you were my friend, and I can't like just stand by and totally not do something to help! And I like can't do this anymore, Lance! I can't stand it when our teammates fight whenever we go out, I like can't stand it when every time we go out, there's always a disaster that ruins everything! Lance, please understand! I care about you, yes…but…but I can't, I don't…"

Kitty stopped, placing a hand over her mouth to stifle the sob that was threatening to break out of her throat. Avalanche felt his own heart break as he tried to hug Shadowcat.

"Kitty, I know you still love me. You can't even say that you don't!" Lance protested, wildly trying to grasp whatever little hope was being offered to him, like a drowning man reaching for a life preserver miles away.

"But I can say I don't want the drama that's attached with the condition that I be with you," Kitty confessed sadly before she looked at Lance, "Lance…I do care about you, but the things that totally comes with you, your past, your teammates, your issues, the fact that like chaos and disaster follows you wherever you go is like totally too much for me! I just can't stand it! I just…I just want someone who's stable and someone who won't give me grief as much as the joy I feel whenever I'm around him! And Peter's the one who I can count on for that…"

If Lance's heart was broken before, it was nowhere near as painful as being dismantled and torn apart a second time.

"Kitty…" he pleaded, nearly begging, his eyes welling up. But the valley girl shook her head miserably as she emphasized again.

"Lance, I made my choice, and I'm sorry. But, I chose Peter now and if you cared about me, you'd respect my decision and only want me happy!"

Lance then whispered in sorrow and grief, "And if you cared about **me**, then you wouldn't hurt me like this."

"Hey, you heard her, Rock-Head, so back off and leave us alone!" Piotr snapped, having enough, as he suddenly appeared next to Kitty, placing a hand protectively around her shoulders.

"_You_ back off! We were having a private conversation here!" Lance snarled, his eyes blazing.

"Well, you've had it for long enough, Avalanche, so mind your own business while I ask Kitty when she wants to have her next date with me! And it'll be great without you there to ruin it!"

"OK, that's it, Russkie! You're asking for it!" snarled Lance as he tackled him, and both Piotr and Lance tussled and rolled in the pavement, shouting loudly enough to gain the attention of everyone around them.

"She's better off with me, you hood!" Piotr yelled as he landed a right hook at Lance's jaw.

"Kitty's not a piece of property you can claim, you jerk! What, you really think I'm gonna just lie down and let you take her?" roared Lance as he sucker-punched Piotr in the gut.

"Keep shooting off, Pebble-Brain, and I'll make sure you get to lie down **_permanently_**!" bellowed Piotr as kicked Lance off him before tackling the Misfit, shoulder first.

At the same time, X23 was furiously fighting with Logan who was doing her best to keep her from running away again. Logan had a firm grip around her wrist, and the female clone was about to stab him. Yet Wolverine was not afraid; he'd be damned before he let her go off and isolate herself again without any real family.

"Let go of me!" X23 growled dangerously.

"Go ahead and stab me, but it'll heal up like always, girl!" he snarled, his temper now precariously bubbling fully before he bellowed, "Now, listen to me and listen to me good, kid. You're too big and mean to have me turn you over on one knee, so I'll say this quite plainly! You're not going anywhere and getting yourself in further trouble as a target for Hydra once they find out you're still alive! **You're staying with us!**"

"You can't keep me as your prisoner!" X23 snapped as she tried to bring her other clawed hand to Wolverine's throat, but he effectively grabbed it and brought the female runaway to his livid face, slightly shaking her as he roared.

"Damn it, kid, when will you get it! I don't blame you for what you did when Darkseid brainwashed you, and I don't want you to go off and get yourself killed! **I don't blame you!** I still want to be there for you, to care for you! I want you to stay with me, with the other X-Men, at the Mansion! You think I'm angry that you helped the Furies kidnap the other X-Men, even though it wasn't by any fault of yours and because that alien bastard raped your mind! I'm not! If anything, I'm mad that you want to leave me when I want to be there for you, to watch out for you! Damn you, kid, if you run out on me, you'll be running out on the only chance for a family you'll ever have!"

"I can't!" X23 screamed, now sobbing as she gave up, crumpling to her knees on the grass, "I don't want it! I don't want it! I can't ever have a normal life like your X-Men! Hydra won't rest until I'm captured or if I'm theirs! Either you let me go or you have to kill me! I just can't live like this anymore! And you don't want me! No one wants me! Not after what I've done! I'm meant to die with no family or friends to go back to!"

At this, the scientific experiment of Hydra was wailing softly, and Wolverine, feeling his heart break, just knelt in front of the girl and hugged her in a crushing bear hug, unwilling to let her go off on her own. She needed him. And quite frankly, he needed her as well. He then rumbled deeply in X23's ear, like a fatherly whisper.

"Kid, I **_do_** want you. I **want** you to stay with me. I **want** you to live with us and have a life of a normal teenager, a life you were unfairly robbed of. I **don't** **want** you to live in fear anymore. And I'll die first before I let Hydra and any asshole from their organization take you without a fight."

"No, you don't," X23 choked, wishing she could dash off.

"And where are you going to go? You don't have any place that can take you in, don't know anyone else who can be there for you and give you love and support like we can. Kid, for God's sake, don't run away from me again. Don't run away from this last good thing you could have going for you. I might not be able to help you next time. I don't think I could bear that again."

"_Why?_"

Logan then lifted the girl's face by placing a thumb and forefinger underneath her chin and raising her head so that her eyes and his eyes were level.

"Cause you're my daughter, the closest thing to my kin I'll ever have. That's important…probably the best and one of the most important things to ever happen to me in my life. Kid, if anything…I want you to be a part of my life."

X23 was speechless, not sure what to say. Could this really be true? Was it too good to be true? Could she truly be accepted and safe here? Then a not-so-subtle cough from behind caused both X23 and Logan to turn around to see a concerned and touched Jinx along with Blind Master, Storm Shadow, Kurt, Sam, and Tabitha.

"You can trust him, X23," Jinx offered gently, showing nothing but true, protective love in her eyes, "Logan is a good man, a man of his word. If he says he wants you to be his daughter, then you couldn't find a better father figure in the world who would be more dedicated to you and your life."

X23 shook her head as she then mournfully whispered, "Hydra will come after me as soon as they discover I'm still alive…"

Jinx then smiled as she handed X23 a manilla folder containing a piece of paper, cryptically saying, "Not exactly, young one. You're forgetting General Hawk has a few friends in high places, and Nick Fury from S.H.I.E.L.D. also owed G.I. Joe a couple of favors. We were able to pull a few strings…"

"What is this?" Logan gruffly asked as X23 took out the sheet of paper, revealing it to all to see, "Is that a…?"

Storm Shadow answered, "It's a birth certificate. You now have a new identity…**_Rina Logan_**, daughter of Wolverine of the X-Men, complete with a social security number and a profile in the National Registry of the American government. We were able to get the Jugglers' help with keeping X23 safe, and before you get into a snit about having them know her whereabouts, General Hawk reported that it's in their better interests to keep her out of Hydra's hands not to mention prevent her from being used as an unstoppable terrorist weapon in the future before it is too late. And coincidentally, they think the best place for X23 would be with the X-Mansion where she could be fully deprogrammed and integrate with kids of her own age."

"But that's not going to stop Hydra," Wolverine growled, "What's to stop them from crossing the line?"

It was then that Storm Shadow and Jinx's eyes both went hard with self-assured steel and promise of bloody vengeance. Blind Master had a small spike of his battle ferocity perk up at the mention, and both Logan and X23 could sense it, the hidden, dangerous essence of a warrior with great honor.

Jinx then promised with fierce love, "Logan, if Hydra or Cobra even tries it, then each and every one of their men and officers and soldiers will wish they were never even born. We swear it."

X23 was stunned at the inner strength, could see that these strange ninjas, though formidable and dangerous and lethal…they were loyal, true, and she dared not doubt their word. After all, Blind Master didn't even break a sweat when he fought her, and he actually attempted to reach out to her when she was still Lady Deathstrike, even though he could have easily killed her. It shocked her, to know that despite her training with Hydra, she could still be bested by these three ninjas and more like them and yet…they chose to exhibit self-control, to exhibit free will, and chose to protect her, to help her, even though they had nothing to gain from it.

She could have honestly said she had never felt such devotion in her entire life.

"But…you want me to stay with the X-Men? Even after what I've done to them?" she whispered, barely able to believe the good fortune that arose for her sake. Kurt then smiled brotherly as he knelt down and laid a tentative hand on X23's shoulders.

"No, it doesn't matter what you have done, X23. We never turn away one of our own, and if anything, we want to get to know you better, be your friend, because you've been hurt and mistreated like a lot of us have been. You're not the only one who dealt with issues with other people or with being alone. I mean, some of us are orphans or runaways ourselves, so…we know what it feels like to be alone. But even though we have no family, we'll all be a family together. And we wouldn't want anything else more than for you to trust us and come with us."

"Hey, if you're Wolverine's kid, then you're as good as any one of us! Besides, the rest of us fight and have killer urges to cause chaos, so how's it any different from you? Just shows you're normal like us X-Men, X23!" crowed Sam.

Tabitha added, giggling, "Besides, anyone who could take out every one of the X-Men in a matter of minutes and give the Badger a run for his money in fighting skills can't be all bad! Heck, having you beat up Scooter and Jean made it worth it when you stormed the Mansion like Scarface! Think you can teach us some pointers on how to beat the Badger in one of his sparring lessons one of these days?"

"I…I do not know what to say…" X23 sniffed, feeling her eyes burn with tears of relief and joy.

"Say you'll stay with us," Sam urged gently. X23 then nodded slightly, hoping this wasn't a dream.

Logan then groaned, "Still…**_Rina_** Logan? Couldn't you have come up with a better name for the kid?"

"Hey, she's a female version of you, so we got Rina as a shortened version of _Wolverina_, and if she doesn't want to keep her old X23 moniker as a code name, we could totally come up with a new one like _Wild Thing_ or _Silver Fox_ or something!" Tabby piped up with excitement.

"Still, it sounds pretty stupid, Time-Bomb!" snapped Wolverine, but X23 then finally gave a smile.

"Rina…Rina…Rina...I like it," she admitted softly.

"Oh God, she's already gone! You've converted her to the psychotic side! I just know you little maniacs are going to warp her with your twisted minds!" moaned Logan in mock tragedy as the ninjas, Tabitha, Sam, and Kurt giggled and laughed. X23 then joined in…and it felt so good. It felt like she belonged at last.

Meanwhile, the rest of the X-Men and Misfits were conversing with the Joes and the Justice League as well as with each other. It was almost as if there was no trace of the bitter argument they had hours ago…

"So what's going to happen to the soldiers of H.A.T.E?" Xi asked softly as he looked upon a tearful Abby holding the disfigured hand of a mutated alien creature that used to be her brother, crying quietly, "With all the genetic experimentations Kanto did on them, is there any hope they can be saved?"

Forge then offered, "We think so. I was talking with Airtight and Lifeline earlier, and the survivors of H.A.T.E. that had been mutated by Kanto will be taken to S.T.A.R. labs for treatment and research in hopes of trying to find a way to reverse the process, but Airtight thinks it's a good chance. They have a strong percentage that they will be brought back to normal."

"And what about Live Wire?" Roberto asked.

Bullock answered, "She's being escorted back to Stryker's Island right now where she'll remain until she goes to court for the murders she committed at the Bayville Commons. Trust me, kid. When the judge sees her, he'll thrown the damn library at her and make sure she doesn't live to get off Stryker's Maximum Security Prison ever again. And frankly, I can't think of a worse punishment than that."

"**_SOMEBODY GET THESE PSYCHOTIC KIDS AWAY FROM ME!_**" they could hear Live Wire screaming, and the X-Men, the Misfits, and their friends turned to see Live Wire, in a rubber straight-jacket and strapped to a gurney at the mercy of Daria, Brittany, and Quinn next to her, smiling wickedly with smiles that could cause Satan himself to cower in fright.

"Oh, but we absolutely **must** try seeing how you look with a Mohawk," grinned Daria, holding up a pair of scissors (she wasn't dumb enough to use an _electric_ razor).

"And we only need a little blood sample for a quick study," Quinn said innocently as she revved up the chainsaw.

"And we still need to see how fast an electric mutate can catch on fire! But don't worry! The butane we brought will help keep the flames going!" Brittany chirped a little too eagerly as she held up a blowtorch.

"And afterwards, it's makeover time! We brought _plenty_ of supplies for your bikini wax and liposuction! And the specialized mud mask made from the contents of Barney and Beak's diapers is a very good cleanser! OK, so **you'll** keel over from the smell, but **we're** well protected at least!" Quinn added, cackling madly, as she held up a large scalpel while wearing a mask connected to an oxygen tank.

Daria then concluded, "Besides, you should be thanking us! Most women pay thousands of dollars for breast implants, so we're doing you a great service! The only downside is that the implants aren't silicone, but then again, the FDA hasn't been able to say that it's against the medical code to use this product yet! OK, so it's been declared a Level 5 Biohazard, but it hasn't been declared as an illegal use for implants, so it's all good, right?"

"**_GET THESE KIDS AWAY FROM ME! TAKE ME AWAY! TAKE ME TO STRYKER'S ISLAND! DROP ME INTO THE OCEAN! LEAVE ME TO ROT IN JAIL! BUT FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, DON'T LET THESE NUTCASES TOUCH ME!_**" screamed Live Wire as Trinity closed in.

"You know, I could **almost** feel sorry for Live Wire," smirked Montoya, "Emphasis on 'almost'…"

"I still think we can't fully trust the Justice League. Who knows if they're really dedicated to keeping Earth safe, especially when there's nothing in it for them? No one can be **that** selfless and noble…" Bezerker grumbled.

"Oh will you get over it, Ray?" snapped Roberto, whipping his head back in annoyance.

Jamie then piped in full support, saying, "Honestly, will you just accept it? These aliens are good guys, just like us! Just because they're aliens doesn't mean that they don't sincerely care about trying to protect others and show compassion! Superman, Martian Manhunter, and the others may have no homes, but that's why they want to fight for Earth, because it's their home now and they made a lot of friends here! Do you honestly think they'd fight for us if they wanted to take over our planet? Sheesh, Ray, quit it with the conspiracy theories! The Justice League are good, one of the noblest kind of heroes from other planets you could ever ask for!"

Hawkgirl was solemnly silent as she heard this, and Jean suddenly sensed a disturbing thought of emotional conflict with her telepathy as she unconsciously probed the group around them. Jean then stared at the winged alien girl wielding the mace, her eyes troubled.

"What on Earth?" she whispered to herself, and Hawkgirl then looked up, her ears picking up on Jean's statement, before guessing the truth and narrowing her eyes in anger.

"I would highly advise you to keep your presence out of my head, Ms. Jean Grey, unless you forgot something called common courtesy," Hawkgirl said coldly, highly affronted and…incredibly defensive.

Jean backpedaled weakly as she apologized, "I…I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! I'm not in full control of my telepathy yet! I'm sorry, it won't happen again!"

"See that it doesn't," and with that, Hawkgirl turned her back on the red-haired telekinetic, but Jean just looked on at the Justice League member with an inkling of suspicion. **(See Author's Notes)**

"Pietro is beyond, without a doubt, the **most annoying** speedster on the planet!" Wanda griped.

Green Lantern scoffed at the mutant girl, bragging, "Oh, as if, girl! The Flash would easily make you grateful that Pietro is only a quarter the irritation **our** speedster is!"

"Oh yeah?" Wavedancer smirked, an evil glint in her eye, "Fifty bucks says **we** easily have the more annoying speedster around here!"

"Fifty? _Pfft!_ Please, Wavedancer, that's pocket change! Not worth my time! I could make that easily in one poker match!"

"All right, then how about a hundred?" Wanda smiled in a braggart manner, "How about it, Green Lantern? _One hundred dollars_ says that Quicksilver is more annoying and infuriating that the Flash?"

The African-American's eyes shot up a bit. Now things were getting interesting…

"Let's up the stakes a bit then and see if you three are still willing to put your money where your mouths are," John Stewart chuckled, "Five hundred dollars says the Flash will easily win the title of the King of all annoying Speedsters. Think you ladies can handle **_five hundred_** dollars or are you going to back out now? There's no shame if that's too much money for you three…"

"Make it an even thousand, and you're on!" crowed Rogue.

"Deal! Just don't come crying to your daddies when you lose all your piggy-bank money!" Green Lantern said, his eyes wickedly shining in satisfaction. This was going to be the easiest bet he'd ever won!

"Uh, Wanda? Rogue? Althea?" Jamie asked a bit fearfully, "You three **don't have** a thousand dollars…"

"Relax, Jamie! We've got this on, hands down!" Rogue scoffed as she waved dismissively, "Now watch and learn!"

As Rogue, Wanda, Althea, Jamie, and John Stewart watched on, Pietro was bothering Kitty while Piotr and Lance were duking it out in an all-out brawl, complete with fists, curses, yells, and of course, the stray misuse of their mutant powers.

"Ooh! Looks like the little Kitty-Kat is expanding her pathetic group of trained seals. So, does that mean you need a whip like all the other ringmasters for your sorry circus of clowns?" Pietro sneered.

"Back off, Pietro, I'm not in the mood!" Kitty growled.

Pietro then smiled as he then teasingly said, "By the way, I might want to warn you, the National Enquirer may, by some weird coincidence, publish some outrageous story with pictures of you in your underwear…"

"WHAT?" shrieked Kitty, "You're lying, you little creep!"

"Well, on the upside, the indecent coverage will make you the number one fantasy of any teenaged geek who will remain dateless until they're in their thirties. And yeah…you're right. I'm lying about the photos of you being in your underwear. I'm lying I was paid five hundred bucks for each copy I had. And I'm lying that this magazine will be seen from coast to coast by people all over the United States by tomorrow. By the way, I never knew they made '_My Little Pony_' undies for a butt _that_ big! Hee hee hee!"

"DIE!" Kitty screamed as she started chasing Pietro around the street, ready to pummel him.

"Well?" Rogue smirked.

"Bah! Kids' stuff!" Green Lantern waved off as he then pointed to the Flash bothering Cover Girl.

"So, did I ever mention how I love a woman in uniform? How about you and I do a little drill practice of our own?" the Flash growled seductively.

"I have a boyfriend, I hope you know!" growled Cover Girl as Low Light ambled up with a dark look on his face, cracking his knuckles.

"Lose the zero, get with the hero, that's what I say," the Flash grinned.

"Sorry, but that's not gonna cut it," Wanda shot down firmly, ignoring the screams of the Flash as he was being chased by an angry Cover Girl shooting at the member of the Justice League with Low Light's sniper rifle while Low Light managed to transform into pure, white plasma with his mutant power and started to blast the Flash with powerful surges of energy.

"Come back here and die like a man!" screamed Cover Girl as she aimed several of her shots at Wally West's butt.

"Yeow! That hurt!" the Flash yelped.

"Good, cause it's about to hurt a lot more! Come back here!" Low Light roared.

"Looks like Pietro's not going to disappoint," Althea pointed out as the four of them heard an explosion ring out followed by a scream from Hawkgirl.

"Woo hoo, woo hoo, woo hoo hoo hoo!" laughed Pietro, running with his super-speed while Hawkgirl, now covered with shaving cream in a multitude of neon colors, flew after him while waving her glowing mace and shouting threats while Kitty and Lockheed tagged closely behind.

"Get him! Get him, Lockheed!" screamed Kitty.

"Do you have any idea how long it takes to get dye and shaving cream out of feathers? When I get my hands on you, Quicksilver, I'm going to rip your legs out before I beat you to death with them!" Hawkgirl screeched, wild and now completely out of control.

"Take a number! I've dealt with him longer, so **I** get first shots!" Kitty snapped.

"Sorry to say, our Wally's done much worse. The bet's still on…and it looks like I'm a thousand dollars richer," commented Stewart as he, Althea, Rogue, and Wanda saw the Flash now being pursued by Cover Girl, Low Light **and** Storm.

"But it was a compliment! You should be flattered!" the Flash yapped in terror as he avoided another lightning strike by Ororo's weather manipulation.

"Asking me for my bra size is **not** a compliment, especially when you immediately said afterwards that if I was too shy to tell you, then it must be smaller than average!" shrieked Storm.

"Yeow! You just don't appreciate the attention!" snapped the Flash as Storm let loose an artic-wind of sub-zero temperatures straight at the speedster. The Green Lantern smiled as he held out his hand.

"Looks like I win the bet." Deadpanned, Rogue, Althea, and Wanda just pointed to Pietro, who somehow managed to miraculously evade Hawkgirl, Lockheed, and Kitty only to join Shipwreck in ogling Wonder Woman.

Shipwreck then grinned a very mischievous and boyish smile as he asked, "I do believe you're the most beautiful woman I've seen yet. And believe me, I've seen plenty! Interested for a night on the town with a sailor? Hit a few bars, several dance clubs, maybe a motel later on?"

"No," Wonder Woman snapped, her irritation showing, "Now will you please leave me alone? By Hera, and I thought the Flash was idiotically persistent!"

"Aw, c'mon, Wonder Woman! Maybe later we can see what sort of new tricks you can do with that lasso!" Shipwreck persisted, his eyebrows wiggling. Wonder Woman counted to ten, trying not to picture using her lasso as a noose on Shipwreck.

"Wait, so Wonder Woman, you're really a goddess from an island of Amazons where there are no men?" Pietro asked, a bit in disbelief and wondering if this was too good to be true.

Wonder Woman nodded at the seemingly innocent question, saying, "Yes."

"_Really?_ No men at all whatsoever?"

"Yes, the Amazons believed in a society where no men are needed and all the women were strong, chaste, and well-cultured and intelligent as a sign of discipline and respect to the Goddess Hera and her gracious blessings to our kind."

There was a pause.

"So you've never been penetrated, right?" Pietro blurted out.

"...five hundred, six hundred, seven hundred, eight hundred, nine hundred…one thousand," grumbled the Green Lantern, handing a smug Rogue, Wavedancer and Scarlet Witch their money as Wonder Woman chased after a terrified Shipwreck and Quicksilver, her face red with anger, screaming threats and insults that were nowhere near mirroring her peaceful and gentle culture back at the isle of Themiscyra. And of course, Hawkgirl and Kitty joined in on the chase.

At the same time, Jake Clawson found himself trying to get X23 from killing him. Apparently, from what Remy and Forge could testify, she took one whiff of Razor's scent…and completely went berserk for no reason.

"Yeow! Get her off me! ARGH! She's crazy! Ow! What is with her? **Oh, holy kats, that hurts!**" Jake was heard screaming as X23 whaled on him with her fists.

"I guess it comes as no surprise," Beast sighed, "Since she is Logan's clone, she is susceptible to the same primal urges and triggers that Logan has. And since Logan is antagonized by the scent of Jake's kat-hair, then it's only logical that X23 would be just as bothered by the scent."

"And since she has no self-control and hasn't been taught that attacking a teacher is a bad thing, she thinks she can be free to attack Jake," groaned Remy.

"You call this a bad thing?" smirked Logan as he watched the brawl, doing absolutely nothing.

Razor snapped as he tried to buck the female version of Wolverine off his torso, "I'll get you for this, Logan! Ah! She bit me! The crazy she-kat bit me!"

"**_Pietro Maximoff, come back here and die!_**" screamed Supergirl in the distance, and the X-Men adults, the Justice League, the Joes along with General Hawk, Commissioner Gordon, Bullock, Montoya and Maggie Sawyer turned to see Quicksilver running for his life in a panic while Batgirl and Supergirl chased and flew after him (respectively), their eyes burning with absolute, bubbling anger. Meanwhile, Shipwreck dashed by with Wonder Woman hot on his tail.

"Men like you are **exactly** the reason why Hippolyta only allows women to live on Paradise Island! Come back here and face your punishment like a pig, you disgusting, obnoxious oaf!" Wonder Woman screamed as she tried to pound Shipwreck with a lamppost she had torn off the street.

"So does that mean you've got a kinky side?" Shipwreck asked helplessly, but with a bit of interest, "YEOW! It was an honest question! Help, somebody save me! She's gonna kill me!"

"Hey, just to let you guys know, we forgive you for being such jerks earlier," Xi commented to the other X-Men, which automatically did not suit well.

"Excuse me?" yelled Amara, highly insulted, "**You** forgive **_us_**! We don't owe you guys any apology whatsoever! You Misfits got some nerve! If anything, **_you_** should apologize to us!"

"For what? Being right? And if anything, you guys were the ones who started this whole mess in the first place!" Brittany snapped.

"We did not!" Ray growled, "You did!"

"No, you did!" Spirit growled back.

"X-Men, just admit it and leave it be! You calling us drunks and lunatics made us really peeved! Since we helped fight Darkseid's Furies and ranks, it's only fair that you show us some sort of thanks!" Roadblock pointed out.

"You want thanks?" growled Beast, making a fist, "Here's **my** thanks! A set of five, all rolled into one!"

Not surprisingly, this led to the mother of all brawls between the Joes, the Misfits, and the X-Men, and when Commissioner Gordon, Maggie, Montoya, and Bullock along with the Justice League tried to break it up, they unwillingly got caught up in the ruckus, being sucked in the flurry of hands, feet, and general chaos while the reporters and photographers in the distance got good shots of the struggle. Shipwreck was still being chased by Wonder Woman, and the Flash was getting close to being fully decimated by Cover Girl, Storm and Low Light.

"AAAAAAAAA!" screamed Pietro before with a burst of super-speed, Supergirl managed to tackle him and pin Quicksilver to the ground while strangling the Misfit.

"Batgirl, Hawkgirl, Kitty, I got him!" she screeched while maintaining a death-hold around the choking mutant's neck, "I'll hold him down, and you three punch him!"

"Wow, and I thought you said you weren't interested in threesomes!" Pietro managed to wheeze out despite Supergirl trying to wring his neck, leering weakly like a typical deviant. He wasn't smiling for long…

"Die, you sick pervert!" screamed Batgirl hotly as she, Kitty, and Hawkgirl joined in and started pounding the Misfit speedster, and Pietro just screamed in a high-pitched, feminine tone while hollering bloody murder.

"**_Die, die, die, die, die, die, die…!_**" the four girls continued to scream while concentrating on beating the white-haired Misfit to a bloody pulp.

Ironically, the only ones not getting involved were: General Hawk, Superman, Batman, Justin, Lina, Fred, Bobby, Todd, Althea, and Kurt.

"Um…shouldn't we stop this?" Lina asked as she saw Pietro being overwhelmed.

Kurt waved, "Nah, not to worry, Justin can heal Quicksilver up as good as new when this is all over."

Justin winced as Pietro let loose another bloodcurdling scream of pain as he commented uneasily, "Um…I'm not so sure about _that_ one, Kurt. Ouch! I had no idea that body part could bend _that _way!"

"Do you really want to get involved in this, yo?" Toad asked, half-amused, "I mean, after fighting aliens, the Furies, Darkseid and helping a firebird save an entire galaxy, I'm pretty much drained."

"For once, I agree with you, Toad," Kurt sighed, but he gave a small, hesitant smile when he said this.

Althea smirked as she took a photograph, saying, "And nothing like a little nice photo to commemorate this little event which will make great blackmail material for us later."

"This happens often?" Batman asked lowly, quirking an eyebrow at the Misfit leader and General Hawk.

"More than we can remember," sighed General Hawk.

"So when are you going to tell Lina that you like her, Freddy?" Toad asked Blob as they all left to stop the brawl. Bobby lagged a bit behind, unknowingly eavesdropping.

Fred blushed as he explained, "I don't want to rush thing, Toad, and to tell you the truth…I'm a little scared to tell her. I mean, do you know how much I choke and get shivers if she even smiles at me? How can I say to Lina that I like her if I don't know she likes me back?"

Bobby just stopped walking and stared at Fred's back as the other three Misfits continued forward, oblivious to Bobby's astonishment.

Toad then added, "Nah, she likes you plenty, Fred. Yo, we can all see it! But if you don't tell her soon, she might just give up waiting and look somewhere else, and then you'll miss you chance. You gotta tell her soon before it's too late, Blob! I mean, it's pretty much a miracle that she has feelings for you too! It's just that she's also scared to tell you."

Bobby felt his world just drop from under his feet in shock as his jaw dropped.

Fred scratched the back of his head as he groaned, "But…oh darn it, Toad, just let me do it whenever I think I'm ready! Until then, I don't want to scare her off I if push her! I mean, how can you guys understand this? Lance has a disaster love triangle with Kitty and Peter, you and Althea has a great relationship, and Shipwreck keeps striking out with Storm no matter how hard he tries! I just…I just don't want to ruin this one chance I got, and I just want to take things slow, ya' know? I mean, the last thing I want to do is screw everything up, make it into a disaster, and then drive Lina away because it turns out she only likes me as a friend, but nothing more!"

Blob sighed as he sheepishly confessed, "Sounds kinda weird, doesn't it?"

Justin then turned to look at Jake a bit longingly, who was still hollering while trying to buck off X23 from pummeling him. After a few moments, he turned softly back to Fred and smiled.

"It may not be as weird and crazy as you think, Fred," Whitelighter said a little sadly, but he smiled gently as he said this. As the three walked away to help the others break up the screaming fight, Bobby just kept staring at Blob's back, beside himself with outrage and disbelief.

Lina? **_And Fred?_**

Those two? They actually had…feelings for each other?

But then that meant…Bobby was a third wheel. Iceman didn't have a chance then with Dragonfly. He felt his head droop before a realization then came to him.

Of course…that still meant that Fred and Lina had to let each other know how they felt about each other, if they could ever reach that point. And who's to say they would just continue to remain obliviously and foolishly silent due to their shyness and awkwardness with each other? And who's to say Lina wouldn't fall in love with a guy who was a far better catch?

Who's to say that a relationship between Dragonfly and Blob would even take off, would even start? Would a bond between Lina and Fred even grow as time goes on?

It was then that Bobby felt the corners of his mouth twitch upwards.

"Not if I can help it," he muttered, gazing longingly at Lina, "not if I can help it…"

After all, all's fair in love and war.

_The End_

**Author's Notes: Note, this happens before the Thanagarian Invasion so none of the JL knows Hawkgirls true role on Earth. And after several one-shots, be prepared for my next crossover with…yep, you guessed it! The Teen Titans! Until then, check back on Friday!**

**To my reviewers:**

**Red Witch:** _Again, it seems only fair that I dedicate this story to you. If it wasn't for you, none of these Misfit side-stories I'm writing would ever emerge, so again, I thank you and I hope to do you proud. Thanks again for lending me the Misfit-verse to write with! And as for the Bobby/Lina/Fred triangle…well, someone's going to get crushed all right._

**Asha-Man72:** _Your reviews are one of the best! They're one of the reasons why I continue writing. And yep, not a lot of people expected the curveball with Supergirl and Batgirl. And Batman interacting with Trinity, huh? coughfutureoneshotcough And glad I could convince another person to the Stormwreck movement! Forget a bunker! The Stormwreck headquarters are held in a five-star hotel with room service and spas to boot (I made a lot of money in blackmail material from "The Last Muticorn" ). And yes, the JL does have a way to contact New Genesis in an emergency, but Batgirl and Supergirl were not officially a part of the League yet, so they had no idea how to contact the High Father, especially since the JL wasn't answering their calls. Glad you enjoyed this! And H.A.T.E. is actually a canon group from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. And Lance and Althea had to kill to protect their friends and family…_

**Lonegrowlithe:** _Glad I made this story such a pleasure for you. Makes writing all the worthwhile…_

**AnimationLasi:** _Yet another favorite reviewer! Yep, eventually, the Mighty Ducks will play a role in the Misfit-verse, but until then, I hope you enjoyed this! And bobby isn't going to take Fred liking Lina very well either! And expect future interactions between the Justice League and the Misfits and the X-Men! It'll be chaotic to say the least._

**GothikStrawberry:** _As much as I'm glad this story made such an impact on you, I might want to warn you that the X-Men, the Joes, and the Misfits will have even worse arguments in the future, upcoming Kingdom Hearts crossover! Trust me, they'll make THIS argument look like a childish fight._

**Sparky Genocide:** _Static and Gear will make appearances in this universe soon, but after the Kingdom Hearts crossover. And the reason Big Barda is a Fury is because this happens during Justice League, not Justice League Unlimited. And though the X-Men had bad feelings about aliens at first, I think now they've calmed down a bit…Thanks for reviewing!_

**Aaron:** _Hey, I'm thoroughly glad you're enjoying this! And Justin, Lina, and Jake will smooth things over between both teams, but if anything, it's not going to be easy. And if you hated Bobby in "Tremors of the Past", you're going to especially loathe him in the future. Will he succeed? That is yet to be determined…_

**Dru:** _I understand your confusion, but in my take, Lina didn't meet up with the X-Men and the Misfits found her when she mutated. Lina and Justin running into the X-Men was the very first time, and as such, that's why they didn't know her. In my version, my take on Lina is a little different to Red Witch's._

**Pauloj1983:** _Fred and Lina will get together, but with Bobby trying to put a monkey-wrench in it, it'll make things interesting. Hey, if people are sick of the Lance/Piotr/Kitty love triangle, then perhaps a Lina/Fred/Bobby love triangle will be a new plot!_

**Doza:** _Thanks for the review!_

**Theodore Hawkwood:** _Thanks again, and I appreciate the e-mails! And glad you liked the Neuterator 3000 invention; Trinity may devise something much more disturbing yet, though._

**Dante Tigerwolf:** _I like Jean enough, but you have to admit, at some times, she is a little too haughty and stuck-up. And nah, don't worry about apologizing! I love it when you review! Nothing you said really offends me! Thanks for reading!_

**Nova Bomb:** _Thanks for the review, and yep, I like the Misfits too much to let anything bad happen to them._

**L1701E:** _Thanks for the e-mails! I'm glad you enjoyed this, and I hope to see your stories updated soon as well! Glad your laptop is fixed!_


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